The Managing Director of Tarzan Jetties and Tarzan Marine Enterprises Limited, as well as President of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Engineer Ganiyu Shekoni Balogun, has called on waterway commuters to always adhere to safety instructions issued by boat operators, particularly the compulsory use of life jackets.
Balogun, popularly known as Tarzan, said the safety protocols which boat operators are mandated to observe are designed primarily to protect passengers travelling across jetties and waterways.
Speaking on the issue, the ATBOWATON president, who is also a Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria, identified passengers’ refusal to wear life jackets as one of the major safety challenges facing boat operators.
“We face this problem daily. Some passengers, despite appeals by the boat driver, would simply refuse to wear a life jacket,” he said.
Tarzan stressed that water transportation, like other modes of transport, is not immune to accidents, noting that wearing a life jacket significantly increases a passenger’s chances of survival in the event of an incident.
“It is important for them to know that accidents can happen in water transportation, just like any other means of transportation. The chances of survival on water are very high when a passenger is wearing a life jacket compared to when he or she is not,” he said.
According to him, many fatal waterway accidents recorded in the past were worsened by passengers’ failure to wear life jackets, despite operators making them available.
“Most fatal cases of accidents on water that claimed so many lives had a lot to do with passengers not wearing life jackets. We spend huge amounts of money to buy these jackets for passengers’ safety,” he added.
Balogun therefore appealed to commuters to cooperate with boat operators by complying with safety measures, especially the use of life jackets, to help improve safety on Nigeria’s waterways.
He also urged members of ATBOWATON and other boat operators to consistently enforce the use of life jackets by passengers while on duty, describing strict compliance as critical to reducing accidents and saving lives.
