Yauri emirate raises alarm over frequent boat mishaps

The Yauri Emirate Council in Kebbi State has raised alarm over frequent boat mishaps around its waterways, saying the Kainji hydro electricity supply expansion work on water storage in the river was responsible for many of the incidents.

The Emirate, in a statement signed by its press secretary, Malam Ibrahim Garba, said many of the mishaps recorded on the River Niger from Kainji, Wara, Yauri, Gebbe to the border of Niger Republic, happened because of the tree derelicts that were not cut to their roots, heaps, leftover hills and huge stones that were not crushed during the expansion works on the river.

It stated that the mishaps occurred on the River Niger because there are no signs to caution canoe peddlers and boat handlers about the danger around the waterways of the zone.

The emirate refuted claims that many of the mishaps happened on its waterways because of overload and refusal by boat handlers to comply with the warnings by waterways authorities. It called on the relevant authorities to address the causes of boat mishaps in the emirate by removing obstacles in the waterways.