The Merchant Sail Navy (MSN), a reserve marine formation, has urged states and federal governments to deploy personnel of the outfit on voluntary assistance to jetties across the country.

The Commander General of MSN, Capt. JohnLinus Okoronkwo, who disclosed this in a statement at the weekend, stated that deploying sail navy officials to jetties would help to reduce accidents on waterways, adding that this is one of the objectives of the body.

This offer comes after several boat accidents on waterways across the country leading to several deaths.

According to Okoronkwo, the Merchant Sail Navy could be of help in such situations by assisting government agencies; including patrolling and issuing safety apparatus (life jackets and life vests) to the boat passengers.

“The Merchant Sail Navy shall regulate the safety apparatus to ensure when to change expired items. We shall take records through the manifest as data collection, including the next of kin information of the boat passengers in case of emergency as well as provide vital information to the Nigerian security forces relating to security challenges on the sea.

“The Merchant Sail Navy needs an emergency rescue speedboat for our divers unit, a beat station at the waterfront (jetty) and the support of the government in achieving this goal,” the statement read.

Okoronkwo argued that apart from making Nigeria a safe place for her citizens, deploying the merchant sail navy to jetties will also reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.