Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state on Thursday handed over 1,000 life jackets to the people of Patigi, headquarters of the Patigi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The life jackets were meant to help in preventing cases of drowning and deaths in the event of boat mishaps during water travel in the area. Gov. AbdulRazaq handed over the jackets to the Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Umar Bologi II, shortly after a meeting he held with some first-class traditional rulers.

The traditional rulers had briefed him on some issues of security and general well-being of the people of the area.

The governor, while addressing them, said a similar gesture would be extended to the Edu LGA of the state and other riverine areas to promote safe water travel in the state.

“This is only a phase of donation of life jackets to people of Patigi LGA.We will also move to Edu LGA to make sure we have adequate life-saving equipment for our people along the banks of River Niger and within the riverine communities in the state. It is a continuous process, and health and safety issues of all concerned are being addressed,” he said.

The Etsu thanked Gov. AbdulRazaq for taking “wonderful steps” to protect his subjects, adding that this would go a long way to avert a recurrence of boat mishaps in the area.

“On behalf of myself and the entire people of Patigi Emirate Council, we sincerely thank you for this wonderful donation to our people at the riverine areas who are mostly farmers and fishermen.We pray God to guide and protect you and continue to uplift your government and see you succeed,” he added.

The state government had recently sent a team to the Lagos state office of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). Its officials said this was part of ongoing efforts to boost water travel and safety.