Following the boat mishap involving medical students who were in Calabar for the Nigeria Medical Students Games, the Cross River State government has suspended boat operations at the Marina Resort indefinitely.
Disclosing the decision of the state government in a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Prince Bassey Otu, Emma Ogbeche, explained that the action was in response to the cruise boat accident at the Marina Resort, Calabar on Saturday, June 24, 2023 involving 14 medical students, with three feared dead and 11 rescued.
The governor of “The People’s Paradise,” as Cross River State is nicknamed, directed that “all cruise boat operations and other activities at the Marina Resort be suspended immediately until further notice.”
He also ordered for a meeting of cruise boat operators with the management of the State Tourism Bureau at the Office of the Secretary to the State Government on Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 by 12pm.
In addition to the cruise boat operations, the statement also directed the State Ministry of Transport to immediately cross-check the safety standards and conditions of all boats operating in the Calabar waterways.
Governor Otu tasked the Police on speedy conclusion of investigation into the weekend’s boat accident, vowing that the culprits would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.