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•Incessant mishaps pose questions on safety of state’s waterways
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Several weeks after a local boat conveying passengers and goods from Yenagoa Local Government Area to Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State capsized at Okoroma in Nembe Local Government Area of the state, the people are still waiting for answers on the actual cause of the boat mishap.
The local boat is not an ordinary boat. It is like a sort of Titanic built for such long journeys and trusted for its resilience against marine adversaries, especially the waves. However, just like everything in life that succumbs to a superior force, this particular local boat with several people on board capsized, leaving people missing till date.
For those conversant with the local boat arrangement, unlike small boats that ensure all passengers have their names in the manifest, the local boat does not have a record of the number of people it is conveying.
People willing to travel but who do not have the money to board the smaller speed boats that usually take a few hours to get to their destination, depending on the distance, settle for the local boat, which may take two to three days to get to the destination but the fare is relatively cheap and affordable. Sometimes it only takes you to know the boat driver to be in the boat without paying a dime.
“You know, it is a big boat. And the boat doesn’t have a record, unlike a speed boat. People just enter the boat with their luggage.
“So, we are still searching the area to see if we can find more bodies. Because even the owner of the boat doesn’t know how many people were on board,” said Mr Ogoniba Ipigansi, the chairman, Bayelsa Maritime Union, a few days after the accident.
Weeks after the search has ended, the exact number of people on the ill-fated journey is still not known. Though 10 bodies, including that of a toddler were reportedly found, local divers believe many victims have been washed away by the surging waves.
“In this nature of boat accident, the bodies of dead passengers would be within the radius of the capsized boat which would enable the water to make their bodies float but if the wave is high like this local boat accident, many of the bodies could have been washed away to several distance away from Bayelsa State. More so, the way the boat capsized gives little room for rescue missions by divers.” Inkio Allen, one of the local divers said.
One question that kept popping over the boat mishap is how this could have been avoided. While accidents occur even when all precautionary measures have been taken, many people are of the opinion that lack of attention to the maritime sector in Bayelsa State by successive governments has contributed to the lackadaisical attitude exhibited by operators of the marine sector.
Investigations revealed that between June 2022 and April 2023, no fewer than 30 people have lost their lives in separate accidents across the state. This does not include many who were not reported but which occurred in remote coastal communities.
For this particular boat, sources said this is the third time it would sink in its lifetime posing questions on what the government and regulatory agencies are doing to safeguard Bayelsa waterways.
“The main problem why accidents occur in Bayelsa State is because the maritime sector is not regulated. The boat operators do things according to their whims and caprices. They hike fares, load more than the required number of passengers, use rickety boats, abuse alcohol, and use all kinds of illegal substances all because they know nobody would ask questions or caution them. At least five boat accidents have occurred between last year and now. Did you hear the government asking for a probe or identifying causes to prevent a re-occurrence? Bayelsa State is made up of 70% water. The waterways are our major means of transport, yet it receives the least attention.
“Past administrations in the state donate buses and cars as empowerment projects in the transport sector, but none has donated boats. National Assembly and state House of Assembly members’ majority from coastal communities organise empowerment programmes to give buses and tricycles but none give out boats. So how do they want the sector to thrive? The government should really have a rethink about its attitude to the maritime sector,” an operator in the maritime sector said on condition of anonymity.
Mr Kpe Jeremiah Ayebainemi, whose mother and child were in the boat but were lucky to be rescued, corroborated claims of the recklessness of boat operators in Bayelsa State. He stated that the boat had loads beyond its capacity which made it inevitable to navigate sharp bends on the waterways without capsizing.
He recommended that sanctions should be placed on boat operators and owners, especially those in the habit of carrying more loads than it is necessary.
“When I left for the waterside at Yenagoa to put them (my mother and child) on the boat, the boat was tilted a bit to one side. They still loaded about 200 bags of pure water at Okoroma even against the disdain of passengers and others. It was shortly after they had left the port, it sank.
“The ministry of transport, waterways authority and security agencies should checkmate boat operators and make sure they don’t overload them beyond their capacity.
“They can’t joke with people’s life and property all for the greed of the change or money they want. This is the third time it is sinking again.
“If they don’t put a threshold on their greed, it will be the end of their business. I give God glory. My family is hale and hearty.
“I believe the ministry of transport in line with the waterways authority and security agencies should checkmate these boats and make sure they don’t overload. In that way, they could stop things like this from happening again,” he said.
Incidentally, former governor of the state and former minister of petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, who is from Okpoama while bemoaning the trend of marine accidents across the state, called for better regulation of the state waterways by relevant authorities to forestall further boat mishaps.
Governor Douye Diri, who had also expressed sadness after the accident, promised that the government would review the cause of such incidents in order to take steps to ensure safety of lives and goods on the waterways.
While Bayelsans await the action, the Diri administration would take on the incessant boat mishap in the state, a concerned Bayelsan, Mr Thomas Jonah, has offered some information that can help salvage the waterways.
According to him the urge for excessive profit, poor condition of the boat, use of hard drugs and alcoholism by drivers and ignorance of or disobedience of maritime laws and guidelines as well as overloading, poor loading pattern, poor communication between management and operators, absent-mindedness, and poor knowledge of the terrain could cause of boat mishap.
Johan, who decried the use of bells and other unorthodox signals by boat operators, noted that the absence of such guidance can result in accidents and mishaps.
“It is imperative for both the government at the federal and state levels, maritime unions and the operators to put in place necessary measures to curb these menaces.
“Consequently, the government should as a matter of urgency introduce the concept of cruise ships (government boats) to ply these routes especially the Yenagoa – Brass Island route.
“The government through the ministry of transport organize continuous training and retraining of local boat operators on safety standards and measures.
“The government also through the ministry of budget and economic planning organize entrepreneurial programmes for the boat operators to boost their business skills. In addition, there is also the need for proper monitoring of the activities of these operators by the government.”
A public commentator, Mr Morris Alagoa, said though accidents cannot be completely stopped, it is important lessons are learnt from previous occurrences in the interest of all citizens.
He, however, expressed displeasure that the maritime sector has been neglected by previous administrations in the state.
“It is most unfortunate that since the creation of Bayelsa State, while several buses and taxis have been procured by all the state administrations (from Chief D.S.P Alamieyeseigha till date), there has never been a corresponding measure or attempt at balancing the equation as regards marine transportation. This lacuna is loud, considering the unique deltaic terrain of Bayelsa state where most of the state is marine ecosystem.
“It appears that Chief D.S.P Alamieyeseigha/Jonathan administration attempted to get a fleet of marine vessels, but they served no purpose till date: wasting away on the Epie Creek.
“This is not rocket science, as the Diete Spiff administration of old Rivers State and Okilo administration had functional and good/modern marine transport systems to take care of the interests of areas that could only be accessed through the water or air. So, there is no excuse by the Bayelsa State government not to provide modern marine transport services or encourage a public private partnership.
“It is nice that the Diri led administration is pushing the three senatorial roads towards logical conclusion, I pray this is not politicised and the projects get desired budgetary provisions and prosecuted to the end. This will go a long way to help reduce the burden of folks in the creeks in terms of getting home and out to other parts of the state, country and world.”
For now Bayelsans look up to the state government to take sincere steps and regulate operations in the marine sector for travellers to breathe a sigh of relief.
