Bitrus Kozah, Abuja
The Interim National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Labour Party in Nigeria, Senator Nenadi Usman, has called for more robust legislation and stricter regulations of the country`s inland waterways.
Her call follows the recent boat mishap on the Kainji River in Niger State, central Nigeria, where the death toll which was earlier pegged at 29, has risen to 60.
On Tuesday, September 2, a boat carrying 90 passengers from Tugan Sule in Shagunu Ward of Borgu Local Government Area (LGA) to Dugga, for a condolence visit, capsized around Gausawa community in Malale Ward of Borgu LGA.
The incident according to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, was attributed to overloading and a collision with a tree stump.
The Labour Party Interim National chairman said: “It is with a heavy heart that I received the tragic news of the recent boat mishap in Niger State, where initial reports put the death toll at about 29, but has now, regrettably, risen to nearly 60 lives lost.”
“I, therefore, use this moment to call on the relevant authorities to urgently consider more robust legislation and stricter regulation of our inland waterways,” she said.
Hauwa Abu