Transport Forum Mourns Victims Of Kwara Boat Mishap

Nigerian Transportation Commissioners Forum (NTCF) has described the unfortunate boat mishap in Kwara State where many lives were lost as sad and avoidable.

The association also commiserated with the government and the people of Kwara State following the tragic and unfortunate boat mishap that occurred in the state.

The executive secretary of NTCF, Chinwe Uwaegbute, in an interview with journalists in Abuja, described the incident as sad and avoidable and sympathised with families of the victims involved in the boat accident.

She reiterated the forum’s commitment to curtail reoccurrence of such incidents in future.

According to her, the incident which was caused by an overloaded locally fabricated boat, resulted in the loss of over 100 lives, with numerous injuries and some missing individuals.

The executive secretary recalled similar mishap in Anambra and Lagos which also claimed many lives.

She said, ‘’ These unfortunate events are a somber reminder of the urgent need to prioritise safety in intermodal transportation and take proactive measures to prevent such avoidable accidents.

‘’It has become imperative for relevant authorities to ensure boat owners and passengers  adhere strictly and comply with safety measures.

‘’It is our firm belief that forging stronger partnerships among intermodal stakeholders and practitioners is also essential to promote safety as the hallmark of transportation.

‘’We believe this will go a long way to ensure passenger safety thereby, reducing recurrence of similar incident in future.”

Recall that the boat mishap occurred on June 12, along the Jebba Lake channel in the Lafiagi-Patigi local government area of Kwara State in which about 103 passengers died.