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By Kenneth Jukpor
Following the recent spate of transport accidents claiming lives, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria has called for an improvement in the enforcement of safety regulations in the transport sector.
WISTA Nigeria, in a press release signed by its President, Mrs. Eunice Ezeoke, stated that it was disturbed by the prevalence of container truck accidents and carnage on Lagos roads, leading to the untimely death of the 27 year old Chidinma, who died alongside her colleague last week.
Chidimma Deedee Ajoku, a staff of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) lost her life alongside her colleague on a commuter bus as a reckless container -laden trailer fell on the bus conveying her.
The unfortunate incident occurred in the same week WISTA Nigeria held a webinar meeting, news filtered in of a boat mishap involving a fibre boat Mount Zion which collided with a barge in the Kirikiri channel.
That incident took the life of Miss Zainab, a young promising girl and former IT Intern with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Also, another boat mishap occurred last week which led to the death of fifteen passengers as a commercial passenger boat ran into a barge on Lagos waterways around Badagry.
“WISTA Nigeria wishes to express sadness at the death of these two young and promising Nigerians and others whose lives were cut short by that container accident and boat mishap. We understand that prior to those unfortunate incidents, the NIMASA had met with Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) to collaborate towards safer and more secure maritime domain,” the statement read.
The association joined other well meaning Nigerians to bemoan the menace of container-laden trucks on Lagos roads and incessant news of capsized boats on the nation’s waterways.
“We call out the relevant Authorities to please live up to their responsibilities. Daily on Lagos roads, you see rickety articulated trailers bearing unlatched containers waiting to fall and kill citizens. Most of the time these containers are placed on flatbeds with no fittings to prevent them from sliding off.”
“We urge relevant government authorities to act immediately and curb the menace posed by these trucks and unregulated fiber boat owners. NIWA should also strengthen their enforcement and collaboration with sister Agencies to protect and effectively regulate the waterways,” the group said.
WISTA Nigeria also stressed that there is a need to expedite the ongoing repairs on most Lagos roads, adding that it would curb the spate of accidents resulting from bad roads.
“We call on safety and law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce safety regulations on container-bearing trucks. Most of these containers are usually tilted to one end and not properly fastened, while most just sit dangerously threatening to slide off when the truck attempts to climb a slope or is driven through Lagos bad roads,” the Association said.
