1 Person Missing After Boat Capsizes in Okrika Rivers State

At least one person is still missing and several others injured after a speed boat capsided along the Port Harcourt Okrika waterways. The vice chairman of speed bpat ownerd association  in Okrika Local Government Area, Isaac Nwakama, told our correspondent that the incident occurred last night.

He said that the boat which was carrying over 20 passengers was travelling from Port Harcort to Okrika.

He said many of the passengers were rescued alive.

Nwakama said: “We are facing tow challenges like that. That is, the challenges is too much. I don’t know how the government will assist us because you can see that two or three times I will jack my engine because of those refuse. And the wrecks at Abuloma waterways are part of the challenges we are facing.

“The government can come in and take away those wrecks. I want the general public to speak to the government as I believe they will assist me to speak to the government.sot that they can tell those people living at the waterside to remove all those things,” he added.

Other boat drivers at the Okrika jetty called for the assistance of government in ensuring safety at the waterways.

One of them said: “we don’t have life jacket; enough life jacket and the government is not helping us. Both the local government and the state government, they are not helping us to provide all these equipment. We don’t have safety gadgets for us to use. We don’t have life jackets because the public do spoil the life jacket and we buy life jacket every year.

“The boat that capsized last night that somebody is missing right now is a case of no life jacket. We are lacking life jacket. So on our waterways government needs to do something. We need the government to come and clear the waterway because it will also help in creating employment.