According to a report from Daily Post, the Emir of Patigi, Kwara State, Umar Ibrahim, Bologi II, has expressed concerns over the misuse of life jackets distributed to boat owners to prevent accidents on the state’s waterways.

He noted that instead of using the life jackets to protect passengers, boat owners have abandoned them, allowing motorcycle riders and farmers to use them for unrelated purposes.

The Royal stated this during a visit by a team of officials from the National Islands Waterways Authority (NIWA), led by the Area Manager of Niger/Kwara states, Mr Akapo Adeboye at his palace at Patigi, Patigi local government area of Kwara State.

The Emir lamented that motorcycle riders wear the donated life jackets while operating their vehicles while farmers use them on their farms.

He also disclosed that the Kwara State government in its efforts to ensure safe waterways transportation, brought a total of 17 fibre boats and distributed about 1,000 life jackets to the area.

”These life jackets have been abandoned and are now used by motorcycle riders to do their business likewise, the farmers who used them on their farms. Instead of using the life jackets to make waterways journey safe for themselves and their passengers, the boat owners left them, ” the Emir noted.

Determined to address this issue, the Emir pledged the emirate’s support to raise awareness among his people about the importance of wearing life jackets while travelling on waterways to reduce the frequent boat accidents in the area.

Earlier, the Area Manager of NIWA in charge of Niger/Kwara States, Akapo Adeboye told the Royal father that the team was in his domain to inaugurate its river marshals and unveil transportation codes while soliciting his support to ensure boat owners obey waterways codes especially the use of life jackets to protect the lives of passengers and boat drivers on the waterways.