In a news reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Moruf Kelani, a survivor of the July 29 boat accident has asserted that the greed of boat operators and late intervention of regulators caused the tragedy.
HSENations recalls that 16 lives were lost to death in the accident involving a boat that drowned on Badagry waterways.
Kelani said the boat operator and his assistant wanted to ensure that passengers comply to the price hike, distracting themselves by collecting transport fare without putting on the engine until the boat reached the high sea.
He said, “Normally, we don’t pay fares until we get to our destination, but that day, the boatman insisted on collecting the money”.
“The boatman thought that it would be difficult to collect N1,500 from passengers when they arrive Badagry instead of the normal N1200, so he started collecting the fares at the point of departure”.
“We realised that the high current was pushing the boat near the parked barge around Kirikiri, so we shouted at him to start the engine.
“All efforts made by him to start the engine was in vain, the strong current pushed the boat under the parked barge at Kirikiri.
“At this critical time, two small boats were sailing along, so the passengers shouted for help and they came to rescue us.
“Unfortunately, only three passengers were able to jump into the small boats before our boat capsized,” he narrated.
Kelani rued the late intervention of Lagos States Waterways Authority (LASWA).
He said, “LASWA did not rescue anybody because they came two hours after the boat had capsized to remove dead bodies of the passengers inside the lagoon”.
“When the boat capsized, the boatman and his assistant swam out of the lagoon because they were experts”.
“Then, out of the 17 passengers that went down after the boat mishaps, God saved me”.
“The rest 16 passengers, including my friend and business partner, Benjamin Ojerinola, perished inside the deep sea due to greed of the boatman,” the survivor added.
Narrating how he survived the mishap, Kelani said only God saved his life.
According to him, “when the boat capsized, I found myself deep down inside the lagoon, struggling to survive.
“As I was coming up from the sea struggling to survive, trying to reach the top, my hand touched the boat because the boat sank with us.
“Then, suddenly, God gave me the instinct to hold on to the boat that it will float because it was made of fibre.
“I held onto it with one of my fingers till we reached the top. I can’t see anything and I can’t swim.
“After the boat had floated out, I hung my leg around the boat and my head on somewhere on the boat for about 30 minutes with hope that before the boat gets to Liverpool jetty, a saviour will come.
“My head was outside and I was able to breathe as the high current from the sea was carrying the boat from one place to another,” he explained.
He urged a complete overhaul and restructuring of LASWA to prevent future occurrence.
