The Managing Director of Tarzan Boat Jetty Mr. Ganiyu Balogun had blamed the Captain of the boat who defied foggy weather and insisted to carry passengers on the boat which eventually had an accident on the waterways last week.
Newsconnect reports that in an exclusive interview with the The Press Society (TPS) in their quest to unearth the cause of the accident and the part Tarzan Boat Jetty played to clamp down tension with victims of the unfortunate incidents, the conversations below ensued between the duo.
How did the accident occur? What role did Tarzan played before, during and after the incident ?
“I learnt that they took some people to the hospital because I wasn’t on ground. The boat should not have left no matter what the passenger says.
“For all the routes, I put in red or white flag.The boat must be in between the red and the white, unfortunately the fishermen here always remove those bamboo.
There is a flag, that indicate signs on the waterways, the fishermen always take them.
What happened recently was beyond us. The passengers always give pressure, they only obey when they see me sometimes. People want to come to the boat without wearing life jacket, if they abuse me, I won’t say a word.
“The jacket is for your own safety. We are not having enough Rapid Response Squad. It is very expensive to do such things on the waterways.
“RRS on the waterways need a boat and it is not cheap. We need Minimum of 5 from here to Victoria Island. At least a boat cost 200 million.
“One thing is to provide the boat, another thing is to take care of those that will be running the boat. The Marine Police, fuel must be supplied when it is needed.
We have even suggested through our association platform that we need a floating checkpoint. We need about 5 RRS, the floating checkpoint one around Badore, one around LEKKI Phase 1.
“The importance of the checkpoint is that if the boat is being overloaded, they will stop them. In my own opinion , I would advise to remove the overloaded passengers while they get another boat that would come and pick them.
“It is not the best thing to be stopping people on the water. From the beginning where they are taking the passenger, due diligence should be done. I am talking from experience not what I read in the book.
“We would tell the passenger the boat is full, they will say we would lap. The more passengers we have on the boat, the more weight in the boat.
“The engine capacity is just for 20 people and you are having 30 people on board, the boat will not be able to pick up. There is something we called plain, the earlier you get to where you are going on the water, the better.
“When it is raining properly, you can’t see. We usually tell them the boat should not move until when the weather is clear. People are just difficult.
Yes people are difficult what are you doing about that ?
It is only government that can provide safety on the waterways. Government is trying but not yet enough. It is not cheap to provide security on the water but security is essential in all ramifications on waterways narratives.
Let me tell you the fuel that can take a boat to Ibadan and the fuel that will take a G8 jeep is not the same. Boat engines consume more fuels.