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75% of passenger boats plying Lagos waterways not seaworthy — NIWA

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…To scrap unseaworthy boats

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is set to scrap many unseaworthy boats following the agency’s investigation which revealed that 75 percent of passenger boats being used in Lagos are unseaworthy.

Speaking to maritime journalists on Wednesday, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Engineer SaratBraimah revealed that NIWA has put in some conditions for boat operators to meet or forget about the ferry business.

According to Braimah, “What NIWA wants to do now is to sanitise those boat operators. We cannot wait until accidents happen again and from these two major accidents that happened this year, we have been able to analyse our investigations and we discovered that it was due to human errors.

“What I mean by human error is down to the maintenance of these boats. Most times, boat engines will go off mid-stream because of the speed the boat captains need, they won’t get it on the channel. So they will now move out of the channel to go to the shallow area so that they can maintain speed.

“As I speak to you, our Marine Unit is now in Ikorodu. I have embargoed boat movements in Ikorodu except for those certified. Yesterday, we certified 10 boats, and only those 10 boats will be the ones to operate for now.

“For other boats, we have instructed them to bring them down to our office here in Marina. We are not even going to Ikorodu to do the inspection.

“Most of the boats have a single hull and these single hull boats cannot withstand stress. Any single hit on the waterways and they will tumble. This is why some of them will hit a little pipe like this on the Waterways and will tumble. I have been inside a boat where we hit a wreck, the boat did not capsize because it had a double hull.

“Majorly, we have to scrap these boats. 75 percent of them are not seaworthy. The time they bought it, registered them, maintained them, even the maintenance has dropped and their life span too has dropped. So we want to know if there are 20 boats that are fit to operate from Ikorodu, Ibeshe jetty, let it be so. If it is 20 in Ebute, let it be so.

“The owners of the jetty are also part of the problem because they know that the fewer the number of boats, the less money they make. But we don’t care about how much a jetty makes. If it’s just 10 boats that are certified fit, let them pay for jetty use. I’m not targeting anybody, we are just after safety.

“So going forward, they have made some things mandatory for boat operators. Firstly, every boat must have a speedometer, it will allow passengers inside the boat to know whether the pilot is overspeeding or not.

“Secondly, every passenger boat must have life buoys on the boat. If there is an incident mid-stream, they will throw life buoys around for people to hold for safety. Four people can hold one. If you have three on a boat, that will save 12 people. Passengers have life jackets, but they usually take off immediately after they get inside the boat. At least, if that life buoy is there and they throw it out, they will hold on to it to stay afloat. So it is the best way to save people on water.

“And finally, every passenger boat will also have a Lifeguard who can swim in case of an accident. Lifeguards are divers, they can quickly jump into the water and save people. It will be the first response before the boats get there.

“NIWA is about to procure a technology called ‘Blue Me.’ Each driver on board will be given one. If they press it, it will give a signal about their location to everybody. It operates anywhere and it doesn’t have network issues and it will give us the location of the boats in times of emergencies. We have gotten the sample and we have tested it at Badagry. These are precautions we are putting in place for water transportation safety.”

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Mushin LG Chairman flags off construction of Yusuf Street road, promises solar lighting

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The Mushin Local Government Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Bamigboye on Wednesday flagged off the construction of Yusuf Street road in Papa Ajao.

The project is expected to bring relief to residents and traders in the area and is set to be completed within six months.

According to Bamigboye, the project is a fulfillment of his campaign promise to the people of Mushin, and he expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to execute the project.

He urged residents to cooperate with the contractor and the local government to ensure the successful completion of the project.

The councillor representing the ward, Ayomide Abioye, expressed his joy and appreciation for the project, stating that it is the longest street in Papa Ajao and will bring immense benefit to the community.

Also, the Baba Oloja of Ladipo International Market, Eze Monday, also commended the Executive Chairman for the project, stating that it will make a significant impact on the development of the area.

The project includes the construction of the road and the installation of solar lighting, which is expected to enhance security and facilitate economic activities in the area.

Residents and traders in the area have been warned not to disturb the contractor or disrupt the project in any way.

Meanwhile, the traders applauded Hon. Bamigboye for demonstrating its commitment to infrastructural development and the welfare of its citizens.

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Giving back to community — Prof Oyedokun speaks on motives

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Lead Facilitator Professor of Accounting & Financial Development Founder OGE, Prof. Godwin Emmanuel Oyedokun, has disclosed that giving back to society community is his motive for pursuing his career.

He made the disclosure in an article titled “My motive for running a free professional diploma course in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation is of several folds.”

He said, “Running a free professional diploma course in forensic accounting and fraud investigation is also motivated by my desire to give back to the community.

“By sharing my expertise and knowledge without any financial barriers, I am helping individuals from diverse backgrounds and financial situations to acquire valuable skills and advance their careers.”

The academic reiterated that the motive for running a free professional diploma course in forensic accounting and fraud investigation is centred around education, skill development, community service, and professional growth.

It is a way to contribute to the accounting profession, address a skill gap, and empower individuals in their pursuit of knowledge and career advancement.

According to him, “Promoting Education and Professional Development to contribute to the growth and development of the accounting profession by providing individuals with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills in the specialised field of forensic accounting and fraud investigation.

“By offering this free course, i am enabling aspiring professionals to access valuable education that might otherwise be costly or inaccessible.”

The Don addressing the need for expertise in Forensic Accounting said, “In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for professionals skilled in forensic accounting and fraud investigation due to the rise in financial crimes and fraudulent activities. By offering this free course, I am helping to address this skill gap and aiding in the fight against financial fraud.”

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Airport tolls: Nigeria lost billions under old rules — Keyamo

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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the Federal Government lost 82 percent which is equivalent to N10 billion in revenue that ought to accrue from airport tollgates under old rules.

Keyamo revealed this to State House correspondents during the week at the end of a two-day meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

The minister lamented that the ministry accumulated 82 percent in the negative from the complimentary e-tags printed by the ministry, noting that 82 percent of the e-tags are given free of charge to VIPs.

He stated, “Let me give you the shocking statistics. The negative figure that we get at the end of the day from the complimentary e-tags is 82 percent, in the negative.

“In other words, where we are supposed to have a 100 per cent contract on the e-costs from these e-tags that we print, it is only 18 per cent that we now end up selling. That is how bad it is. 18 per cent and 82 per cent of these e-tags are given out free of charge to VIPs. So, imagine the loss in my sector, and I ask myself,Which other sector will I go to that they give me anything free?’

“Is it because I’m a VIP that you say that in FCT, I should not pay land charges that you waive it for me? I pay for that sector. I pay for power. Yes, I pay for everything. So, why would anybody now come to my own sector and want to get free passage? Not possible. That is how bad it is.”

He added that free e-tags to the VIPs had in the past led to the loss of billions of naira

“So this has led in the past to loss of billions of naira, not millions, annually. Yet, our airport infrastructure, you know, is decaying. I am helpless. I’m looking for concessionaires. I’m looking for help with decaying infrastructure.

“They will be the first to cry out, these same VIPs – ‘why are the toilets like this? Why are your toilets smelling? Why can’t you do this?’ They are the same people, but they don’t pay for the services. So, if we want improved infrastructure at the airport, we must pay for services,” he said.

The minister lamented that due to the policy of exemption, the ministry makes only about N100 million instead of making about N260 million from a particular airport gate every month.

“I’ll give you another example. In one of the access gates, based on the count of the barrier going up and down, we are supposed to be making N250m or 260 million from that gate every month. That gate, because of exemptions, the return to us is less than N100 million every month,” he added.

To end the loss, the FEC decided that the president, vice president, and other top government functionaries would start paying access fees or the e-tag at all 24 federal airports across the country.

Prior to this development, the president, vice president, and some government officials were exempted from paying access fees at the airports’ gates.

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