The leadership of Nigerian Medical Students Association (NIMSA) has blamed the management of Marina Resort Calabar for the boat mishap that lead to the drowning of their colleagues.
Speaking to journalists at the resort premises, national president of NIMSA, said, “This ugly, avoidable and extremely traumatizing incident causing so much anguish to the medical students community nation wide was as a result of negligence, incompetence and the lackadaisical attitude of the crew members and the management of Marina resort.”
Egba said the engine of the boat had gone off and water started to enter in an uncontrollably rapid speed and quantity, adding that the condition of the boat was very poor, water and fuel leaking.
“At this point, the boat started sinking and finally capsized.”
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He lamented that there was little or no supervision by Marina Resort management as well as poor regulation and monitoring.
According to him, the management of the Resort was duly informed which time they would have properly checked their boats and prepare for them but failed to do so.
The students expressed annoyance that the management failed in their responsibilities to customers and ought to have been closed down.
The boat had capsized Saturday afternoon with 14 medical students including two crew members. With assistance of the Nigerian Navy and Police and village divers, 11 of them were rescused.
Two members of the state House of Assembly, Victor Nsa and Effiong Ekarika, both representing Calabar South 1 and 2 also blamed the Management of the resort for negligence.
Governor Bassey Otu had decried the safety standards of 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.”
“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 at when this report was filed, the bodies of the missing medical students had not popped up from the water.
