The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) have renewed their commitment to strengthening collaboration aimed at improving safety on Nigeria’s inland waterways, amid growing concerns over the recurring incidence of fatal boat accidents across the country.
The renewed partnership is expected to enhance accident investigation, information sharing, regulatory enforcement and the implementation of preventive safety measures designed to reduce the alarming rate of boat mishaps that have continued to claim lives and destroy property.
Speaking on Tuesday while receiving the Director-General of NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jnr., during a courtesy visit to the NIWA headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State, the Acting Managing Director of NIWA, Malam Umar Yusuf Girei, said closer cooperation between the two agencies had become imperative in addressing the nation’s waterways safety challenges.
Girei noted that collaboration, intelligence sharing and coordinated operations among agencies responsible for transportation safety remain critical to creating a safer inland water transport system and restoring public confidence in water travel.
According to him, NIWA remains committed to working closely with NSIB and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen safety standards, improve regulatory compliance and ensure effective enforcement of operational guidelines across the country’s waterways.
“NIWA is dedicated to strengthening partnerships with sister agencies to improve safety standards and enforce regulations for safer water transportation in Nigeria,” he said.
The Acting Managing Director assured the NSIB delegation of NIWA’s readiness to provide technical expertise, operational support and access to relevant data that would facilitate prompt investigation of marine accidents and enable the development of evidence-based safety recommendations to prevent future occurrences.
He stressed that lessons learnt from accident investigations would be invaluable in shaping policies, improving operational procedures and enhancing safety culture among boat operators and passengers.
Earlier, the Director-General of NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jnr., said the visit was aimed at consolidating the existing relationship between the two organisations while exploring new areas of collaboration in accident investigation, data exchange, safety promotion and institutional capacity building.
Badeh explained that the Bureau’s mandate goes beyond determining the causes of transport accidents to making safety recommendations that would prevent similar occurrences in the future.
He noted that effective collaboration with NIWA, as the nation’s inland waterways regulator, would improve the quality of investigations and facilitate the implementation of safety recommendations.
Nigeria has witnessed a disturbing rise in boat accidents in recent years, particularly in riverine communities where waterways serve as the primary means of transportation. Many of the incidents have been attributed to overloading, night navigation, poor maintenance of boats, adverse weather conditions, excessive speed, inadequate safety equipment such as life jackets, and weak compliance with safety regulations.
Industry stakeholders have repeatedly called for stronger inter-agency cooperation, improved enforcement of safety standards, continuous public enlightenment and investment in modern navigational infrastructure to reverse the trend.
The collaboration between NIWA and NSIB is therefore expected to strengthen Nigeria’s inland waterways safety architecture through better accident investigations, data-driven policy decisions, enhanced regulatory oversight and the adoption of international best practices in marine safety.
Observers believe that if effectively implemented, the partnership could significantly reduce boat mishaps, save lives, protect investments and boost confidence in inland water transportation, which remains an important component of Nigeria’s transport and blue economy development agenda
