The Governor of Cross River state, Bassey Edet Otu has condoled the families of three medical students who lost their lives in the unfortunate boat accident at the Marine Resort in Calabar.
This is just as he pledged that, it will get to the bottom of the issue(s) that led to the regrettable and avoidable accident.
In a statement, the permanent Secretary, Culture and Tourism Eme Affiah says, they received with shock, the news of the unfortunate incident involving members of the Nigerian Medical Students Association.
“Regrettably, while 12 persons were rescued comprising 10 students and two crew members, three students are yet to be found. We commiserate with the families of the missing students”.
According to him, though the ill-fated cruise was a private arrangement between the students and a private operator, the oversight of safety of all life and property is paramount in the duties of the state government.
He said, “The students concluded the arrangements for the Cruise with a private boat operator during the visit to the Slave History Museum. The students had sought discounts from the management of the resort for a reduction of the entry fee for about two hundred students who were expected”.
Adding that, “The Boat Cruise was not part of their initial plan but was based on an impromptu decision made during the visit to the Slave Museum”.
He explained how the arrangement for the cruise was made saying, “The students were said to have been provided with life jackets and were all seated in the boat before the commencement of the cruise. The first batch of students had successfully concluded the cruise before the unfortunate incident happened. We take this opportunity to commend members of the Nigerian Navy and local rescue teams that stepped in to rescue the students”.
“We commiserate with the families and the student association on this terrible accident. This will be the first sad incidence of this kind at the Marina Resort since it was opened. In a bid to get to the bottom of the matter, His Excellency the Governor of Cross River state, has swiftly shut down the resort and ordered an immediate investigation into the incident”.
The Head of CRSTB he disclosed has been ordered to provide the safety logs of the operating boat company with the OPERATIONS UNIT for a Decisive mitigation and preventive action.
