Contrary to earlier reports suggesting that only one person was missing in a recent Lekki boat accident, Freelanews can confirm that two bodies have been recovered by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).
Recall that out of the alleged 17 passengers believed to have been onboard the ill-fated ferry, 15 have been successfully rescued.
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Our investigation revealed that the actual number of passengers exceeded 17. However, due to the incompetence of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the regulatory agency tasked with ensuring safety on the waterways by the federal government, there was no manifest to ascertain the number and identities of the passengers aboard the ill-fated boat.
Sources disclosed to our correspondent that one of the two recovered bodies was a staff member of a Chinese technology company.
The passenger boat, which departed from Addax Jetty without a manifest at around 6:50 pm, met its fatal fate when it collided with a submerged shoreline concrete near the power line corridor at the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge.
A series of circumstances point squarely to the poor management of NIWA’s responsibilities for Lagos Waterways. According to the law, no boat is expected to be on the Lagos Waterways by 7 pm. Even more concerning is the apparent safety gap in the waterways, where the activities of dredgers can endanger the lives of hundreds of Lagosians using water transport alternatives to beat Lagos traffic.
An eyewitness noted the notoriety of jetty operators, such as Addax Jetty under the jurisdictional control of NIWA, and the urgent need for the Lagos state government to take 100% control of Lagos waterways.
“It is unimaginable that there are possibly more bodies since there was no manifest to accurately determine the number of people involved,” one witness opined.
It is, however, regrettable to note that NIWA, headed by the Lagos Area Manager, Engr Sarat Braimah, has been nowhere to be found for rescue operations or any form of assistance since the incident occurred.
“Imagine we are here now witnessing the recovery being carried out by LASWA, and not one representative from NIWA. I can’t even hear anyone from Addax Jetty. Lagos needs to find a way to align the activities of these guys with LASWA. As an engineer, I know it’s safety first… where are we going?”
The two recovered bodies, which were initially at the LASWA office, had been handed over to Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and SEHMA.
With the bodies recovered from the water, three deaths have been recorded so far as one of the victims gave up the ghost at the hospital.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
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