Pauline Onyibe 
To curb the occurrence of avoidable boat accidents in Bayelsa State, the state government has announced a ban on cooking in local wooden engine boats.
The State government also announced the mandatory use of life jackets and provision of lifebuoys by all boat operators plying waterways in the state.
To this effect, the Deputy Governor called on the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Navy, the marine component of the Nigeria Police and the state Community Safety Corps to enforce the new measures, including the subsisting ban on night travels on waterways in the state.
Announcing this development on Wednesday, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo who represented Douye Diri, while presiding over the weekly State Executive Meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, expressed sadness over the tragic boat mishap that claimed about 20 lives in Southern Ijaw LGA last week.
While expressing condolences on behalf of the Government and people of the state to the families of the victims, He added that henceforth government would not tolerate the presence of illegal inflammables in boats, apart from the quantity of fuel needed for any journey to forestall future occurrence of avoidable fire incident and mishaps.
According to a statement by Mr Doubara Atasi, Senior Special Assistant on Media to
Ewhrudjakpo expressed sadness over a recent kidnap incident that occurred along the Nembe-Brass corridor of the coastal state and urged all relevant security agencies to intensify their patrolling duties in the area.
He thanked Bayelsans, especially the Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Hon. Target Segibo, members of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and all those who participated in the search and rescue operation that led to the recovery of the remains of the victims.
His words: “”Cooking in all our boats is hereby banned and all travellers must have life-jackets, whether speed or wooden local boats. All boats must also have life-buoys and the ban on night travel is still in force.”
“All boats must also be checked for inflammables that should not be in the boat, apart from the quantity needed for the journey. We believe that these measures will help save lives and property, which is the main duty of government.”
“On behalf of our Governor, we wish to convey our deepest condolences and utmost grief to the families of victims of the ill-fated boat mishap that occurred in Southern Ijaw last week. Preliminary reports seem to show some level of negligence on the part of the boat operators.
“We also want to extend our deep sadness over the kidnap that occurred along the Nembe-Brass route a couple of days ago. It is unfortunate but I can assure you that the government is taking steps to ensure the safety of our waterways.
“No boat should take more than what is in their manifest. We thank all those who helped in the rescue mission in the Southern Ijaw boat mishap.
“The Governor has directed that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigeria Police, the state Community Safety Corps and all relevant security agencies and even the Maritime Union must enforce these measures to ensure safety on our waterways.
