The Kwara State government has distributed 1,000 life jackets to boat operators in the five riverine local government areas of the state.
Secretary to the State Government Prof. Jibril Saba handed over the jackets to the beneficiaries yesterday.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for providing the jackets and urged the beneficiaries to ensure their proper use.
The commissioner for transportation, Hon. Aliyu Korasabi, restated the ministry’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of water travellers.
He added that the state government was proud to distribute the jackets received from the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy recently.
“The initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is a demonstration of the government’s commitment towards enhancing safety and wellbeing of citizens in the riverine communities across Nigeria,” he said.
The commissioner for communications, Mrs Bola Olukoju, described the event as another landmark achievement of Governor AbdulRazaq’s administration.
Olukoju advised residents of the riverine areas to relocate upstream for their safety.
Earlier, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transportation, Alh. Kabir Salahu, emphasised the importance of using life jackets while travelling on water ways.
Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, the chairman of Kaiama local government, Hon. Abubakar Danladi, thanked President Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq for the kind gesture.
The chairman of boat operators in the state, Mal. Abubakar Yakub, thanked both the federal and Kwara State government for the timely gesture and promised to ensure proper use of the life jackets to ensure the safety of boat passengers.
