FG urges States to phase out Wooden Boats<\/p>\n
The Federal Government has called on state governments to end the use of wooden boats and adopt those of fiber and aluminium to enhance safety, promote modern water transport, and reduce accidents.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola made the call in a statement to commensurate with the victims and families of the Shagari boat mishap in Sokoto State.<\/p>\n
According to him, the tragic mishaps was a direct consequence of the continued reliance on unsafe vessels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Federal Government is appealing to state governments to urgently complement its efforts by investing in modern, non-wooden boats for commercial operations in their states.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the Ministry\u2019s recent interventions, including the nationwide distribution of 3,500 life jackets to each riverine state, incidents of boat mishaps have persisted largely due to the widespread use of wooden boats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe structural weaknesses of wooden boats make them unsafe for modern commercial operations and should be phased out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Minister highlighted that wooden boats had served their time and could no longer be on waterways for safety purposes, noting that they cannot withstand the scale of haulage, especially under conditions of overloading.<\/p>\n
Oyetola emphasised that fibre and aluminium boats represent the global standard for inland and coastal waterway transport as they were sturdier, safer, and more durable.<\/p>\n
He called on state governments, particularly those with large riverine populations, to urgently invest in these modern boats, describing such investments as both life-saving and economically strategic.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Ministry has mandated the compulsory use of life jackets, and we have supplied them in thousands to riverine States.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut life jackets alone cannot guarantee safety without safe boats. I therefore appeal to our state governments to complement the Federal Government\u2019s efforts by deliberately investing in fibre and aluminium boats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the seed we must sow today to secure a safer, more prosperous tomorrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FG urges States to phase out Wooden Boats The Federal Government has called on state governments to end the use of wooden boats and adopt those of fiber and aluminium to enhance safety, promote modern water transport, and reduce accidents. The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola made the call in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":148172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,424,20],"tags":[100,2142,1211,2141],"class_list":{"0":"post-148171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-security","9":"category-the-nation","10":"tag-fg","11":"tag-mr-adegboyega-oyetola","12":"tag-states","13":"tag-woodwn-boats"},"yoast_head":"\n