The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said that it has stepped up efforts to combat illegal jetty and boat operators in the State in a renewed effort to stem the tide of boat mishaps often caused by illegal operations on the inland waterways.
The Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel said on Wednesday that strict enforcement would be meticulously carried out across the state.
“Being a developing sector, one of the things that LASWA has had to do is to be very strict on enforcement. Enforcement is going to be an ongoing thing because you would constantly have those people who are going to default.
“In terms of clamping down on jetties that are substandard is something that LASWA has been looking to go round the state to clamp down on illegal jetties,” he said.”
Emmanuel explained that while the State Government was working round the clock to improve the sector for optimal performance, the core objective of LASWA is to ensure that safety, being a key feature of water transportation is not compromised.
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He said the safety of passengers getting on a boat was far beyond wearing life jackets, stressing that it was important to also ensure that the jetty or boat operator had put other safety measures before embarking on any journey.
