Today I decided to transit from the island to the mainland, and because I had a program to attend, I decided to go by boat.
If you are accustomed to Lagos, you’ll know you can get pregnant, give birth to the child, and also wean the child in Lagos traffic. So I decided the boat was the best option.
I took a boat at Sanfield to Ebute, paid my fee (even in new notes), got a downbeat life jacket which I hope I’ll never use, and got into the boat.
Would you believe what happened about 20 minutes into the journey, in the middle of the sea? The engine stopped, and the network failed. To be fair, if you are accustomed to water transportation, you’ll know that the boat sometimes stops in the middle of the water.
But today’s own, the boat completely stopped with no land in the distance, and worse, no rescue was coming. Only God knows why I was calm. I just knew it wasn’t my time.
I want you to guess how we got rescued. Please guess… whatever you thought was wrong oo. Would you believe that we had to sail using the wind to Bayeku dock before another boat came? Yes. I was stuck on the water waiting for a breeze to blow the boat to shore.
And here is the link to a lawless country. Water transportation is the most dangerous and least regulated transport network in Lagos. I have never seen any inspection or seaworthiness check done on any boat before. The boat prices are completely subject to the sailors’ requests. There is no fixed schedule; this dangerous transport system has now become a lucky draw, and surviving is now like winning the lottery.
The issue is, there is a system, the agency is called the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), but I have never seen anything done. Even the government seems unaware of the boats’ operations. Today they operate here, tomorrow it’s another place.
The government really needs to restrategise. It is a lack of wisdom for the Lagos State government not to consider incentivising and making water transport safer as a valuable way of solving the massive influx of persons. For starters, you don’t have to repair any roads.
Well, road construction in the budget is another way of siphoning funds. I’ll shut it here, so I won’t escape from one issue into another.
Anyways, thank God I didn’t die, so enjoy these views.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.