… NIMASA assures Lagosians of increased efforts to curb container accidents
Following the recent death of two Lagos-based Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) staff, key industry stakeholders, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA), has began to examine the issue of safety and proper latching of containers on trucks.
According to the CIoTA President, Mr. Bashir Jamoh, the body is aiming at preventing any more container-falls in the city and the country at large.
Recall that, this year alone, at least nine persons have been confirmed dead from accidents resulting from containers falling on vehicles.
Jimoh, who is also the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said that he had spoken with the parents of the deceased FAAN workers and had promised them that the NIMASA would intensify its advisory efforts to prevent similar accidents in the future.
He said, “I spoke with both parents (Mrs. Ajoku and Mr. Nnaekpe) of the two youthful FAAN employees whose lives were sadly terminated by the fallen container while in a bus on their way from work. As your President, I extended our collective heartfelt sympathies to them in separate phone conversations.
“While comforting them, I also assured them that CIoTA will not only be lending a voice to this matter, but will play its full leadership role of advocating for transportation safety on our roads.”
He said that the CIoTA has began engaging industry stakeholders to finding lasting solutions to the issue of safety, particularly with regard to proper latching of containers onto articulated vehicles, a major challenge that has faced transportation within the port environment in recent times.
“We have reached out to key state actors with a view to getting their commitments as we strive to work towards a broad-based programme that will involve critical stakeholders on the importance of safely and properly latching containers and cargo to trucks before they leave the marine and other import-export environments for our general road networks; while also addressing the important issue of the competence and mental status of the drivers,” he said.
