President, Association of Tourists Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria, Mr Ganiyu Tarzan, has warned residents of Lagos State against dumping refuse on waterways to avoid boat mishaps.
Tarzan gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, February 25, 2018 in Lagos.
He said that dumping refuse on the waterways coud lead to boat mishaps, as it obstructs the movement of boats.
“Refuse deface the waterways, it causes accident and also damage boat engines.
“Once there is too much dirt in a particular portion on the water, it hardens the place and once a boat runs into it by mistake, such boat will capsize,’’ he said.
Tarzan, however, applauded the Lagos State Government Cleaner Initiative for removing the refuse, hyacinth and wrecks on the waterways.
“The government has improved towards their responsibility in ensuring a smooth and easy flow/movement of boat on the waterways.
“The surface of waterways across the state is looking good, neat and tidy now while some areas are still looking dirty but not as it used to be in the past.
“We have no records of any boat mishap in the last few months now, kudos to the Lagos State Government and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
“NIWA buys harvester machine worth millions of naira that will be picking dirt, wrecks and water hyacinth on the waterways.
“Once they are informed of a particular dirty environment either cause by wrecks or refuse on the waterways, they deploy their team to clean the particular environment,’’ he said.
By Idris Olukoya
