President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed great grief over the boat tragedy in Gorau community, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State where lives were lost, offering condolences to victims’ families and the people of the state.
The Thursday disaster of August 20 has left several dead and numerous others missing after a boat carrying passengers to farms sank in the village.
The event has prompted ongoing rescue and recovery efforts by local divers, security forces and emergency management officials.
Casualty numbers have fluctuated during the ongoing effort but police authorities reported 46 bodies have been recovered and 15 were rescued alive with others still missing. Other stories have put the death toll higher when more bodies were retrieved.
President Tinubu termed the occurrence as a tragedy and grieved for the families that lost their loved ones in a statement published on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
I was very sorry to hear about this boat accident. The President said his thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims during this sad time.
He prayed for the repose of the victims, for strength for their relatives to bear their loss and for the fast healing of the injured.
“I commend the efforts of the emergency responders and the local authorities in the rescue of survivors and recovery of victims of the accident,” Tinubu said.
He then asked relevant federal agencies, particularly the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to work hand-in-glove with the Sokoto State Government to beef up safety measures on the waterways in the state.
He also asked for the stringent enforcement of existing waterway safety rules to avert such deaths in the future.
The Gorau event has raised further worries about the safety of Nigerian interior waterways, notably the dangers of overpopulation, lack of safety equipment and lax enforcement of rules.
Accident reports say the boat was carrying farmers and labourers on its way to rice plantations and that a large number of women and children were reportedly aboard.
President Tinubu reminded the people of Sokoto State of the assistance of the Federal Government in the difficult period and called for more efforts to find anyone still missing.
He also prayed for peaceful repose for the lives lost in the tragedy.
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