Hardly does a month pass without reports of a boat mishap resulting in loss of lives in Nigeria. This has become a recurring misfortune of present day life in Nigeria’s waterways travels. The social strata involved, the underprivileged, who are majorly rural dwellers, and are socially or economically disadvantaged, account for reason such accidents are not usually reported in the media. Yet, they have become an endangered specie.
The class of people that are affected either have no alternative means of transportation, or are made to use the waterways where the roads are bad but waterways can used as alternative. In recent times, waterways travel is hardly listed among means of transportation in Nigeria, and attention is not given to it, neither are there efforts to improve it despite the humongous amount of money government invests there.
The misfortune cuts across all the riverine areas in the country. In 2023, over 300 lives were reportedly lost to it. Rather than abate, more lives totalling about 326 were lost to boat mishaps in 2024, an increment of about 8.67% from 2023. The misfortune has continued this year, the latest being in Gausawa, along the Malale–Kainji Lake route in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where about 27 persons reportedly died in a similar circumstance last week.
Also last month, about 16 traders were fared dead in a boat accident in Kojiyo village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State. A similar misfortune befell Kwara State in May when a boat accident claimed the lives of at least 27 people in the Gbajibo community in the Kaiama Local Government Area of the state. Following the Borgu boat mishap in Niger State, the Federal Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has said it would provide the necessary support to victims’ families and survivors of the Borgu boat mishap.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, in a statement he personally signed said: “The Federal Government, through NEMA, will provide the necessary support to the victims’ families and survivors, working closely with the Niger Government to ensure prompt relief and assistance”.
He further cautioned that no one should embark on boat journeys without wearing appropriate protective jackets, adding that safety precautions could make the difference between life and death. “Furthermore, the federal government has directed the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to mount a massive nationwide sensitisation campaign to raise public awareness on safety measures when using inland waterways.”
These accidents will likely persist if immediate corrective measures are not taken. We call on the Federal Government to investigate the incessant boat accidents across the country which have continued to lead to loss of lives and valuables.
While we align with the position of the minister, we urge the regulatory authorities responsible for regulating inland water transport, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), to take swift action to up their game to prevent incessant boat mishaps on our waterways. There is the need for both NIMASA and NIWA to embark on enlightenment and sensitisation, and enforce strict safety guidelines on water transportation.
