Ghana has neglected marine accidents – Derek Oduro

marine
Major (rtd) Derek Oduro

A former Deputy Defence Minister, Major (rtd) Derek Oduro has expressed worry over the neglect of marine transport and accident in the country, an area he believes needs more attention.

According to him, marine accidents had been ignored by the authorities as compared to that on the roads.

His assertion comes after nine pupils of the of Lwanga R/C JHS in the Saboba District of the Northern region reportedly died after a boat carrying them capsized.

The boat which capsized was crossing a river at Saboba in the Northern Region.

The deceased were among some 31 students crossing from Dutuin after helping their headteacher work on his farmland.

Read Also: Saboba: Boat accident victims not BECE candidates – Police

Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Major (rtd) Derek Oduro said, “With all these marine accidents happening, it looks as if we have neglected it. we are not looking at that side.”

He said although it was mandatory for everyone to have a flotation jacket before boarding any canoe or boat, most of the people go on boats and canoes without wearing the jackets.

The former Minister therefore questioned who was checking all these people who were not wearing their flotation jackets, hinting that no one was checking them.

“Who checks that these people go on the canoes with flotation jackets, no one checks and because of that nine school children have lost their lives. This is not the first time something like that is happening. It has happened before and we always neglect it and school children have lost their lives, if there were flotation jackets, those who died could have been saved,” he said.

He said even if no one is checking them, the boat owners should take responsibility of ensuring that there are flotation aids for everyone.

Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
Writer’s email; [email protected]

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