Unfortunately that day the boat, with about 13 people on-board, capsized around 7pm and it took about two hours for rescuers to recover the bodies from the canal. 1 survived. The local government chairman came with an ambulance to convey the deceased to the morgue.
Today, some residents of the area took to the streets to protest the deaths as angry relatives and neighbours say the deceased have been abandoned in the morgue without care and that the govt has refused to allow relatives claim their loved ones. They are also asking for a new bridge to be built to avoid further deaths.
This is preposterous.
ReplyDeleteNigerians shld learn to apply safety and caution over their lives. PEOPLE GO ABOUT TRYING SO HARD TO SURVIVE THAT THEY END UP LOSING THEIR LIVES.
DeletePLEASE STOP BEING IN A HURRY!
That being said, I blame the government. FELLOW NIGERIANS, LEARN TO SUE THE GOVERNMENT.
Until we start fighting for our rights, there's no hope. But the problem with suing the government is that you must be a TAX PAYER!
We should care about such death traps and have one voice in making sure that things are done right. Form an association, write to the local offices, have a peaceful demonstration, picketing etc.
We need to stop this 'i don't care attitude'
Oh well, what do I know...May their souls rest in peace.
Anyone who need my nude picture hit my name
DeleteAs long as it's igbo residents, who cares. Am sure if dat's surulere it would've been rebuilt. One Nigeria indeed!
DeleteSad stories everyday.. One has to be very careful
ReplyDeleteLinda ur very late on dis one. Dat local Govt chairman ayo is such a selfish n greedy human being! Doing absolutely nothing in dis festac town.
DeleteDo you live in Festac town?
DeleteMay dere soul rest in perfect peace
ReplyDeleteThis is sad.May their souls rip.
ReplyDeleteMay their souls rest in peace.
ReplyDelete~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA3310
I am not trying to be insensitive. May the souls of the departed rest in peace. We need to put safety first too in everything we do.(In every aspect of our daily living in Nigeria)
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that boat was carrying way more people than it should. Let's not blame everything on government. We have a part to play as well.
My prayers to the family of the departed.
Bless you
DeleteOh ! What a sad story.May God give their family the fortitude to bear the irrepairable loss.
ReplyDeleteOde it's irreparable not 'irrepairable'.. after u go do like say na u know english pass, idiotic moron!
DeleteChai... RIP
ReplyDeleteHello pals, I would love you guyz to take a stroll on my tech blog, We offer latest on freebrowsing tips, computer tips, mobile tips and other related tips.
Thanks to Linda, Our blogging Queen in the Blogosphere
Eiya may their soul rest in peace amen
ReplyDeleteNnaa eeh, the way/manner people die in naija these days; really shocking.. No regard for human life anymore. God's intervention needed!
ReplyDeleteEeyah may their souls RIP! In just 4mins journey, chei
ReplyDeleteSO SAD
ReplyDeleteOne day, I shall advice the Nigerian President. I'd see him soon. If you can't do it, leave it. We are gradually beginning to have more death occurrences than places with natural disasters. What a disastrous Nation.
ReplyDeleteWhat is d president's own in this @Gee. Is it d president that ask them to take the boat! I live in 6th ave festac town, the boat that was sopose 2 carry 13 passengers, was carrying about 20 pple, d boat sunk 4 christ sake, that is what happened, so what is president's on in this, people shld comment sensibly abeg.
DeleteWhat did GEJ do
DeleteThere is a road to 6th avenue but people say it's far.... ve done same before I entered the boat once it's ignorance not GEJ
May their soul rest in peace
ReplyDeleteYour comment will be visible after approval
Babe since you traveled,you've been posting stale gist n comments take longer than usual to reflect
ReplyDeleteTho I applaud you,get a PA or something,someone that can help out so u"ll have time for yourself esp for your trips abroad.#Concernedfan#Poison Ivy.
Always thought she has PA abi admin or wateva.... don't tell me, na Linda the post all these. haba!
DeleteNigeria's government is imbecile
ReplyDeleteR.I.P
ReplyDeleteIt is easier for the local government chairman to provide ambulance for the dead than a new bridge for the living. May God help us.
ReplyDeleteThere is a road to 6th avenue but people say it's far and would rather go through a route that is not commissioned plus the boat was over loaded.
DeleteIt is easier for the local government chairman to provide ambulance for the dead than a new bridge for the living. May God help us.
ReplyDeleteIts easy to get approval for 2b road than to get one for a 500k bridge. That's the situation we find ourselves. When its easy to siphon money, projects gets approved.
ReplyDeleteThese are our headaches in this country. Too much of i care less attitudes. We must survive!
ReplyDeleteSomebody should have made a business of it! We shouldn't always wait for the gov't to do everything for us. Sorry for those who lost their lives.
ReplyDeletei think the number is more than 12. this happened last week....the boat capsized and all attempts were made to save em....by the time they were able to rescue the few they saw underwater, they were dead, cos as at an hour after the drowning, they had only rescued about 6 people.
ReplyDeleteits pathetic...very painful...
Linda point of correction, 24 people were in that boat, mostly young boys and girls, a man lost his three sons. Only 5 people survived.
ReplyDeletePlease get the facts Right, the former wooden bridge was located at the the end of a street, a blind spot(wrong location) meanwhile 7mins walk from d accident there's a properly built concrete bridge that carries people & vehicles. It's a combination of poor choices, greed, overloading etc. May they RIP. PeterOlu 4rm Festac
ReplyDeletePeople are dying bcos of carelessness of some people. Sad stories everyday now. People are dying like animals. May they rest in peace
ReplyDeleteI live in 6th ave festac. What happened is really sad, n may d souls of d departed rest in peace. Crossing d canal via small canoe isn't d only alternative to get to 6th ave festac, there are bikes n keke (tricycle) that transport people to n fro 6th ave. People decide to use d small canoe since d collapse of d pedestrian bridge, but I feel only people that can swim shld use d canoes. What happened on Dat faithful evening was that: usually Dat particular canoe has d capacity to convey only 13 passengers, but when d canoe boy that usually paddles told those in d canoe that it was only 13 people he could carry @once, they started begging that they are in a hurry that he shld cross them over n they were like 20 or 21 people on d small canoe, d boy agreed n as he wanted to move d canoe the canoe refused to move, which indicates that d weight on d canoe was too much. They pushed d canoe n it started moving, when d canoe was almost @where it is suppose to stop so that d passengers can come down, it started sinking, before one could spell ORANGE, it sunk,. There were 5 survivals, while d rest died. Amongst d 5 survivals only 2 could swim, n they swam out alive. D canoe boy who could swim, saved d other survival, by diving into d water n bringing some people out. As he dived in again to rescue more people, he was dragged in by others sinking who needed his help. So that canoe sunk as a result of over load. And there were 5 survivals not 1.
ReplyDeleteXo d canoe boy drown too, chai he was trying 2 save sm1 nd he died bcos sm1 wanted him to save him/her 1st Irony of life...
DeleteSo sad! I sympathize with their family and loved ones....... May Their Soul Rest In Peace..
ReplyDeleteStay tuned! With the Nigerian's Best Cook in Entertainment, Latest Fresh Gist & Latest News: www.hotcoolgist.com
Happened just behind my estate and the funny thing is I am a regular user of that canoe route. During rush hours, the boat rowers throw all caution to the wind and take more than the recommended number of passengers in their leaking canoe. It was so sad cos I know a woman who lost three kids in the accident. God be with their souls
ReplyDeleteLife is cheap in Nigeria.... God help us all.
ReplyDeleteMay their soul rest in peace. Amen
ReplyDeleteRIP to them.
ReplyDeleteM̶̲̥̅γ̲̣̣̥ God, guess the angry youths I saw today infront of the local govt were protesting for this. Chai. May the souls of d departed rest I̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ peace, Amen
ReplyDeleteLINDA U GOT THE WRONG INFORMATION..I WITNESSED THE EVENT ND D BOAT SINKING..I WAS WATCHIN THE INCIDENT CUZ I WAS ABOUT TO CROSS..THE BOAT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE 13 BUT 24 BOARDED ND ABT SIX SWAM OUT ND D REST DIED INCLUDING KIDS..NT 12 DIED NOR 1 SURVIVE,,TNKS.I LEAVE N 6TH AVENUE..THE OTHER ROUTE IS QUITE LONG ND STRESSFUL ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WTOT CARS AS THERE is NO KEKE BUT BIKES WICH R PRETTEY EXPENSIVE..THE KEKE AVAILABLE NLY GOES TO FIRST GATE WHILE OTHERS R LEFT TO FIND THERE WAY DAILY..THE GOVT SHUD TRY TO BUILD A bridge for the commuters..tnks..
ReplyDeleteSowi bout d loss
ReplyDeleteThis is really sad
ReplyDeleteNa so nigerian govt dey do everything they are suppose to do they won't do it until when it start killing ppl then they will proffer solution, omg I feel for the departed souls, useless n shameless ppl
ReplyDeleteI have lived in festac before and would agree that using boats to cross the canal is the fastest and cheapest route to getting over to 6th avenue. Thing is,how can 13 people be on a locally made boat? At night for that matter! Anyway,RIP. The Government shouldn't be blamed for everything although it could have been avoided if a new bridge had been built.
ReplyDeleteFestac the beautiful,how you have depreciated.
ReplyDeleteRip...
ReplyDeleteThe boat was carrying 24 people,when it capsized. 5 people, including the man rowing the boat swam out immediately, but he went back in to rescue people, he never came out. so four people are alive.
ReplyDelete14 people were brought out dead that first day, and one person the next day.
the whereabout of the remaining 4 people and the 'boat rower' are unknown till date. The gate to the canal has been locked up by the local govt since that day.
CHANNELS TV and another TV station came the next day, and instead of asking the witnesses, they sat and waited until some govt officials who had no clue of the damage came, then they started scurrying after em for fake news....smh at em journalists..
May their souls rest in peace.
The fact remains that,that idiot local govt chairman did nothin to fix that bridge..even our roads in festac have potholes as big as wells....little children died that day..a family lost 3 kids...crossing the canoe cost 10naira and going round on bike is 100 - 150...that route is shorter and many school children use it as their parents cant afford to pay 100 naira per child....how much will it take the govt to fix the damn bridge...my sister was to enter that canoe after the had dropped the people that were killed.God spared her life and i am grateful....Govt shld fix the damn thin cause not everybody can afford the bike or keke fare.
ReplyDeleteYou are obviously new to festac or just ignorant. I must remind you that festac is a federal government facility managed by the FHA not the local government but the local government chairman has been proactive about development in Festac and that is why the first phase of 22rd has been interlocked,same with 4th Avenue, 41/401rd, and even 4th Avenue service lane has been completed and opened for use. Same attention has been given to 2nd avenue and 7th avenue in the past too. If you are new in Festac, (please feel free to confirm from people what these roads uses to look like).
Delete311rd, 2nd phase of 22rd, 4th Avenue, 41/401rd, 322 and 21rd I close are all nearing completion.
I expect you to confirm these facts and tender an open apology.
Hess!! Gerald or wat, how long have u been in Festac? I was born here in Festac. For ur information fr how long has those roads bn bad if not fr d fact dat Ayo is about to leave chairmanship seat n he knows he'd be probed do u think he'd be fixing d roads... I lost 3 of my friends on dat boat I take dat same boat.. Dat bridge wat will it cost dem to fix it? So don't say tins u don't kn wen ur not a pioneer in Festac town. If u had lost a friend or relative I dnt tink you'd be sounding like dis ...
DeleteHess!! Gerald or wat, how long have u been in Festac? I was born here in Festac. For ur information fr how long has those roads bn bad if not fr d fact dat Ayo is about to leave chairmanship seat n he knows he'd be probed do u think he'd be fixing d roads... I lost 3 of my friends on dat boat I take dat same boat.. Dat bridge wat will it cost dem to fix it? So don't say tins u don't kn wen ur not a pioneer in Festac town. If u had lost a friend or relative I dnt tink you'd be sounding like dis ...
DeleteIt is instructive one state here emphatically and categorically that the Local Government had on several occasions sensitized the Festac Resident Association, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Residents of 6th Avenue on the inherent danger of using canoe across the canal as means of transportation, which unfortunately led to the death of some people. The Local Government had also erected a signage educating people about the looming danger, while shanties were demolished in that locality, as well as relocating the tricycle operators to that area, all in a bid to make people in that environs see reasons of not using the canoe as an access to 6th Avenue.
ReplyDeleteWe should also be aware that the Estate belongs to the Federal Government and what the Local government is doing is just a complimentary one.
While, one want sympatize with the bereaved, it is absolutely wrong for people to use fowl language and put the blame on the doorstep of the Comrade adewale led administration…
It is important we all remind all that Festac has a grand design, the Local Government do not have the constitutional right to tamper with it…..
this is just common sense.must we blame everything on the govt.yhe fact remains that theres another means of transportation.u didnt have to take d bridge to get to ur destination,wat if there was no bridge there,wont we take bike or whateva to get whereva.if any1 is to be blamed,is d fed govt and not d local govt.festac is federal,there are somethings that are beyond the local govt.am so sorry for ur loss but if the families of those that lost loved ones want to protest they should go to d fha office in festac.and stop disturbing ppl for the stupidity and carelessness of ur loved ones.may there soul rest in perfect peace.the fact still rrmains that some ppl even after wat had happened still crossed wit anoda canoe.dont bla,e d govt 4 ur carelessness.theres no hurry in life.aluta continue.life goes on
ReplyDeleteDO U KNW DAT THEY IS NO SHOT CUT 2 HEAVEN my pple plz 4 d sake of our dear life let us avoid shot cut & learn 2 b patience 2 yield a good result. in everything we r doing pls, heaven help those dat help dem self, Decease R I P{#DR ALISON FRANCIS#}
ReplyDeleteFrom most of the comments ,people are already insulting one another instead of putting the blame at the door step of the local govt chairman who is the representative/ closet person to the people, he's been paid to do his jod not doing you a favour. If and when they want your votes nobody says Festac is a no go area their votes is for FG. Nigerians wake up from your slumber and demand and Fight for ur right. Some people could not afford the fares using the alternative routes. The local govt chairman should show evidence(s) that the issues relating to this canal was brought b4 d state/FG and what was their response(s). People don't just accept anything thrown at you by our leaders, they are not doing u any favour.They should be responsible and accountable and if not performing let heads roll or get them out of the office with your votes. Don't sell ur votes for cups of rice and salt or 2 -500Naira even any amount because u will pay for it dearly if not with ur life. U can collect d money bcos it is ur money but do d right thing. The chairman should have provided mass transit buses at affordable fares. God BlessNigeria
ReplyDeleteMay deir souls rest in perfect peace
ReplyDeleteFDJ