One year afta boat accident: ‘I still dey tink about my daughter everi day’ - deceased papa

"To me di tin still fresh like say na yesterday e happun, no single day wey go pass without me thinking about Amina.”

Dat na wetin Halliru Abdullahi Badau tell BBC News Pidgin on di one year anniversary of di Bagwai boat accident for Kano wey kill 41 among di 48 pipo wey be passengers.

Di incident wey happun on 1st December 2021 send shockwaves across di kontri as e be say most of di victims na children.

Bagwai and Badau towns dey separated by river and di only way to get to one of di towns na by boat and dem no get enough according to residents wey dey lead to overloading most times.

Halliru 13 year old daughter Amina follow among doezens of oda islamic school students wey dey travel from dia village Badau to Bagwai to attend one event.

“Amina na very bright student and if not for wetin happun she for don enta secondary school by now becos at di time of di accident she dey her final year for primary school.”

“She dey my mind all the time and i dey pray for her to rest in peace alongside oda victims, many families across our town still dey mourn over di incident.”

Anoda father Aminu Isah tok say im own daughter Rukayya wey follow die for di tragedy dey receive daily prayers from am.

“Our prayer be say make dis kain bad event no happun for our town again because families don too suffer.”

One accident too many for Bagwai river

Over years pipo of Bagwai and Badau towns don experience too many boat accidents.

Di one of di most memorable ones wey dem no go ever forget na dat of 2008 when 32 pipo wey dey celebrate marriage die on di same day.

Halilu Jafaru na boat driver wey recall dat particular accident and e tok say e just be like say na yesterday for im eyes as pipo die as dem dey try carry bride go her husband house.

Im close friend Mahmud Bagwai na im drive di boat dat day and e say engine failure and panic na im make pipo die dat day.

“7pm don pass wen fellow driver and close friend Mahmud pack doz pipo, 36 of dem inside di only boat wey di town get to carry dem go Badau town just 15 minutes’ drive inside water.

“Mostly na women and children full di boat becos na bride dem dey carry go her husband house for Badau town.

“Na one boat we get so sometimes i drive and oda times Mahmud go drive, as we dey by di roadside na im somebody rush dey cry come tell us say boat accident don happun, na im me and some pipo rush go dia, jump inside di water."

"Personally I comot eight deadbodi from water and till dis day I still dey see dia faces if I lie down, na one of di saddest things wey I see for dis life, na only four pipo survive, one woman with her two children wey hold part of di boat as e come up and one Aminu Bagwai wey sabi swim."

Unfulfilled promises by goment

According to residents of di towns Kano state goment neva fulfill all di promises wey dem make after dis last accident last year.

Halliru Badau tok say dem neva see anything on ground.

“Goment at di time promise say dem go add more beta engine boats for us and also give our drivers beta training to dey handle di boats but uptil now nothing don happun.”

Bala Sani Badau tok say uptil now na single boat di whole town dey manage as goment neva shake body on di mata.

“Apart from more boats dem also promise to create beta road between Badau and Bagwai wey go limit passage of di river and reduce accidents but nothing don happun.”

BBC News Pidgin try contact commissioner of information Muhammad Garba on wia goment stand regarding promises dem make to Bagwai and Badau pipo but di commissioner no respond to messages to im phone.