By Adeyinka Aderibigbe
As part of ensuring the safety of its inland waterways, the Lagos State government has distributed 500 life jackets to three riverine communities in the state.
Distributing the items in Epe, on Wednesday, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) General Manager, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said the exercise was aimed at helping residents of these communities to cultivate the habit of wearing life jackets for the protection of lives.
Emmanuel emphasized that the exercise was also aimed at encouraging operators of water transport to improve safety on Lagos inland waterways.
He said: “Through LASWA, the state government has embarked on a series of policy reforms, programmes and investments to promote and facilitate water transport provision to realize its potential to become an attractive mode of transportation.
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“The distribution of life jackets is one of the many programmes that promotes and facilitates safety of water transport.”
Emmanuel said the exercise was vital to the growth of water transportation by reducing fatalities on the waterways.
He urged boat operators to strictly adhere to safety guidelines and ensure no one boarded their ferries or water vessels without wearing a standard life jacket.
The beneficiaries of the life jackets included school children and teachers from several riverine communities, market women and commercial boat operators and other indigenous stakeholders in the various communities.