No fewer than 14 people, eleven of them women from the same
family in Dan-Gunu and Guni village, respectively lost their lives in separate
boat mishap along river Guni in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.
River Guni is a flows into River Kaduna and also serves as a
major feeder that powers Shiororo dam, one of the nation’s three hydro
electricity power generating dams domiciled in Niger State.
The disaster occurred on Monday evening of August 24, 2015
when the villagers mostly women, who were said to have gone to harvest groundnuts,
were returning from their farm at about 6pm.
Eyewitness said that the women had gone to the farm to
harvest groundnuts in company of two men but died on their way back while the
two men survived the accident.
While the villagers in Dan-Gunu were still mourning the loss
of the women, another boat mishap claimed another three lives in a neighbouring
village of Guni village.
Meanwhile, Senator David Umaru, representing Niger-East
senatorial district in a condolence message, described the incident as very
unfortunate, stressing that the disaster had brought to the fore the sufferings
the people of the area due to the activities of the Shiroro hydro dam.
Umaru, whose constituency the disaster occurred, lamented
that lack of roads and bridges linking the area with other parts of the state
has continued to claim the lives of the people.
While expressing sadness over the delay in the take-off of
the Hydro Power Producing Area Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Umaru however
said that he was optimistic that the commission would alleviate the sufferings
of the riverine people of Niger State.
He said, “The constant loss of lives and properties of the
people in this area goes a long way to demonstrate the urgent need to provide
roads as an alternative to paddling across the rivers and as well, a necessity
for the immediate implementation of the HYPPADEC act”.
Daily Independent
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