MWUN links lack of modern facilities, regulatory safety standards to rising boat mishaps

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President of the Seamen/NIWA and Water Transportation branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Mr. Francis Bunu has traced the disturbing surge in boat mishaps in Lagos and other parts of the country to lack of modern facilities and poor regulatory safety standards on the frequent boat mishaps on the waterways.

In an interview with Business Hilights he said “Our inland waterways are too shallow and the revenue that is suppose to come from there is not been harnessed. We also do not have any modern jetty except the few ones owned by private individuals. Do you see any modern facilities in the public jetties where we can take boat?

“If there is ferry from Victoria Island to Apapa, we are not going to be facing this traffic and the amount of money government is spending on roads if put into development of inland jetties will go a long way to help operators who rely on the roads,” MWUN said.

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According to him, the maritime sector is being neglected as according to him, the government has not put in much effort to drive the sector which alone has the potentials to generate more revenue than the oil sector for the economy.

He argued that if Inland waterways are developed through dredging, they will serve as effective means of transportation and will cause relief on the highways which he said have become unprecedentedly congested.