Cross River Suspends Cruise Operation after Boat Mishap

 

By Nurat Uthman

Cross River State governor, Bassey Otu, has ordered a ban on all activities in the Marina Resort until further notice.

Cross River State governor, Bassey Otu, has ordered a ban on all activities in the Marina Resort until further notice. 

Otu’s suspension comes in the wake of the boat accident which occurred on the Calabar waterways on Saturday.

This directive was contained in a press statement issued by Otu’s spokesperson, Emmanuel Ogbeche.

The governor also ordered the state Ministry of Transport to cross-check the safety standards and conditions of all boats operating in the Calabar waterways.

Ogbeche in the statement said the governor had scheduled a meeting between cruise boat operators and the management of the State Tourism Bureau on Tuesday.

“Besides the cruise boat operations, the State Ministry of Transport is to immediately cross-check the safety standards and conditions of all boats operating in the Calabar waterways,” Ogbeche said.

Otu decried the safety standards at the resort, vowing that anyone found guilty to have compromised on safety would be severely sanctioned.

“The news of a cruise boat mishap at the Marina Resort, a tourist and relaxation destination in Calabar, is saddening and calls for concern not only as your governor but as a parent,” he said.

“To imagine that the boat was overcrowded and some of those on it were without life jackets is of even greater concern and the more reason why the state government will be investigating the incident and all those found culpable of having compromised on safety standards will face the wrath of the law.

“As a government, our administration remains committed to protecting the sanctity of life and providing an enabling environment for business, tourism, and peaceable living. Therefore, any untoward action that could derail our objective will not be tolerated.”

Meanwhile, the leadership of Nigerian Medical Students Association (NIMSA) has blamed the management of Marina Resort Calabar for the boat mishap that led to the drowning of their colleagues.

The national president of NIMSA, Egim Egbe, hit out at the Marina Resort management while  speaking to journalists.

“This ugly, avoidable and extremely traumatizing incident causing so much anguish to the medical students community nationwide was as a result of negligence, incompetence and the lackadaisical attitude of the crew members and the management of Marina Resort.”

Meanwhile, three out of 13 students from NIMSA who went on a boat cruise at Marina Resort in Calabar, Cross River State are still missing.

The boat capsized at about 3pm on Saturday when some of the medical students who came from Universities across the country to attend the NIMSA annual Health Week in Calabar as part of social activities went to the Marina Resort to have a boat cruise.

Three medical students with two from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and one from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, are feared dead after the boat capsized.