John Nwokocha, Editor, writes on the series of accidents on the Nigerian Inland water ways that constitutes continuous challenges for not only the travelling public, but also for discouraging tourism and ultimately stunting national economic growth. Sadly, users of waterway transportation face the uncertainty of safe departure and arrival every day. Perhaps, this is not enough demonstration of the failure of a regulator – NIWA to deliver on its mandate.
Nigerians Express Shock
Agitated Nigerian public has expressed shock and dismay at the nation’s water ways continues challenges with foreboding accidents on the one hand, on the other, rising insecurity in the regions causing serious panic. A development that is causing users – passengers, fishermen and traders traveling on the waters now horrorful, only because of two main avoidable evils. Travelers have had to scamper at any whims or rustling sound of dry leaves.
The extreme experience has left hundreds traumatized, and several others at the brink of future accidents unless authorities take urgent actions by either declaring emergency interventions in the inland water ways, or drastic measures to recover the sector by making the water routes safe.
On Monday, December 15, a wooden boat capsized while crossing passengers on River Benue in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue to Nasarawa State. No fewer than 20 passengers on board the boat died in one fell swoop.
The passengers, largely traders were returning from a market when the boat sank in a section of the River that flows through the Igatu region.
The incident was most recent horror on the Nigerian waterway. 11 passengers involved in the mishap were taken to a hospital for treatment, it could not be ascertained if the survived the accident.
There had been several mishaps in the past months in 2024, claiming countless lives causing discontent and fears all over the country among intending passengers. Sadly, the search for missing passenger will continue for weeks but always turned out that their bodies were recovered.
This is just the latest in a long series of boat accidents on the country’s inland waterways.
Before it, precisely on December 11, Nigerians recorded a black day as a boat accident occurred in Gamadio LGA of Adamawa State, where two people went missing, while three others were rescued.
with just 10 days into 2024, the country was greeted with another boat mishap.
On January 10, 2024, 11 people, including children, lost their lives in a boat mishap along the Andoni-Bonny coastal waters in Rivers State.
Details of the accident according to Africa Health Report checks show it involved two passenger boats plying the route.
unfortunately, neither of the boats was equipped with life jackets for passengers, it was later revealed.
Series of Accidents
A series of accidents on the nation’s water ways were witnessed in February 2024.
These were also linked to lack of safety measures on Nigeria’s waterways.
Our checks further show that on February 21, an Ibeshe-bound ferry collided with a submerged concrete structure near the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge in Lagos, claiming one life.
The country was thrown into mourning in less than a week later as a 20-passenger boat capsized in the Ibeshe/Ikorodu area, killing three passengers. It was on February 26, 2024.
In April, a boat carrying a Nollywood film crew capsized in Anambra State, resulting in multiple casualties. Among the victims was Junior Pope Odonwodo, a popular actor.
The bodies of three more crew members were recovered days later, further fuelling public outrage and improving regulation of the country’s waterways.
On October 1, as Nigerians prepared to celebrate the 64th Independence anniversary, the quiet Gbajibo community in Mokwa Local Government Area, Niger State, was similarly plunged into grief.
Why? A wooden boat conveying over 300 people, mainly women and children, from Mundi Local Government Area in Kwara State to Mokwa LGA, for the Malud celebration, capsized.
The incessant boat accidents on the nation’s water routes have made water transportation dreadful for many. This ought not to be the case ordinarily. It is indicative that all is not well with the Nigerian water ways.
Water Ways in Jeopardy
It is apt to describe the inland water ways as thrown into complete jeopardy following the state of degeneration of the sector, believe it or not.
In the October, a wooden dugout canoe, packed with nearly 300 passengers, overturned and sank in the middle of the River Niger killing hundreds of passengers.
In the same month, five people died when two boats collided in southern Nigeria’s Delta state.
But while Nigerians were trying to recover from the shock of the Mokwa incident, another mishap occurred.
The people of Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara state will not forget in a hurry the boat mishap involving about 200 members of the community in October. The State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, reportedly had to announce a N100 million support fund for the victims.
It was another black Friday in mid-November when a 200-passenger boat capsized in River Niger. About 54 bodies recovered according to authorities. However, dozens of others are still missing, and the bereaved families and relatives have been grieving ever since.
A report said, “Divers are still searching the waters, but hope is fading on the possibility of finding more survivors”.
The boat was travelling from Kogi state, central Nigeria, to a weekly market in neighbouring Niger state when it went down.
Market traders and farm labourers were more among the passengers.
The cause of the accident is not yet known till date, but there are indications that many of the travellers may not have worn life jackets as required by regulations.
The Kogi state governor Usman Ododo expressing concern over the incident ordered all hospitals where survivors are receiving treatment to ensure that they get adequate care including food.
The incident marked the third passenger boat to go down in Nigeria waters in the last 60 days.
Findings show that in 2024 alone, Lagos experienced 21 casualties, while in a few months and weeks; Adamawa had 28 casualties, Niger 30, Kwara 100, Niger 169, Delta 5, Zamfara 40, and Kano 3. Nigeria witnessed more boat accidents in 2024. The country recorded 396 deaths on the inland waterways.
In January, a data released by the Marine Crafts Builders Association of Nigeria showed that Nigeria recorded 3,130 incidents of boat mishaps on its waters in the last 10 years.
The spate of the accidents on the waters is prompting a serious concern about passengers’ safety. Many think that the unsafe waters are caused by negligence on the part of government. Each accident that occurred had despatched at least two persons to their early graves that should have been averted by a responsible government.
Nearly all the accidents seem to share a common feature in the sense that only the victims’ relatives and their sympathisers are lamenting the incidents, raising the question if the government is touched by the rate of casualties.
The sad occurrences resulting in loss of lives have underscored the importance of a proactive regulatory body that will play the role of overseer over the inland water ways across the country.
In the latest accident not a few agitated observed have asked whether the country still a minister of transportation has, to start with. There is also the believe that deaths on the water ways do not bother the authorities. But in fairness this cannot be conclusively proved.
Surprisingly, the voice of the minister for marine and blue economy, Adegboyega Oyetola surfaced expressing grief over the December 15 accident in particular.
The minister who many thought had been missing in action when he was most needed to direct urgent actions to save lives, was quoted as saying, he decried the incident.
Hear what he has to say through his head of press and PR in the ministry, Muhammad Tahir Zakari, “the Minister decried the spate of boat accidents on our waterways. He noted that the incident has once again highlighted the need for caution by boat operators and users and the urgent need for stricter safety measures on Nigerian waterways.
“He sued for the cooperation of States, local governments, community leaders and all and sundry to join efforts with the Ministry and the National Inland Waterways Authority to do to stem the spate of boat accidents by paying more attention to safety”.
However, critics expected commitments by the minister on the way forward to safe waters and pleasant journeys. Poor responses by authorities have been blamed for the increasing casualties in each of the crashes on the waters. Evidence abounds where search for missing victims continued for days after the mishaps occurred. In the end of the search and rescue operations official statements are not released, leaving the public in complete darkness.
It has been discovered that noncompliance with safety regulations is a major cause of the accidents.
In one of the recent mishaps, eyewitness accounts indicate that excessive speed and overloading were the primary factors contributing to the accident.
In many cases the sector relied on intervention of local boat operators and rescue teams.
But they have their limits, and this has kept the accidents occurring. Responding to a question an eyewitness offered some answers saying that getting accurate details about who exactly had boarded the boat is difficult because there was no record keeping.
Also, speaking, a boat operator who gave his name simply as Mr. Johnpaul Ikenna, said the high cost of running water transportation in the country is responsible for the ongoing mishaps recorded on its inland waterways.
In his opinion, the significant challenges bedevilling the sector are infrastructure, compounded by fuel pricing, purchasing outboard engines in foreign currencies, and high maintenance costs, which make boat operators cut corners.
According to him, the quality of waterways and environmental factors, security, integrating heritage boating, dredging ecosystems critical to connecting rivers, lakes, and inlets, and land use, which affects the development of waterfront lodges for tourism and the emergence of carefully intended maritime cities and towns, are also responsible for boat mishaps.
He summarizes the problems saying, “The challenges are enormous, so is the potential. Infrastructure is one; two is the boating and ferry business economy compounded by fuel pricing. The purchase of outboard engines in foreign currency, maintenance, quality of waterways, environmental factors, security, integrating heritage boating, dredging ecosystems critical to connecting rivers, lakes, and inlets, land use act regarding the development of waterfront lodges for tourism, and the emergence of carefully intended maritime cities and towns.
“Others are poor research on inland waterways and the impact of the littoral community’s development and growth, absence of a critical inland waterways master plan, and absence of serious and focal awareness and education”.
Despite public outcry about the poor regulation of boat operations in Lagos State little or no changes have been seen.
Another concern is despite safety recommendations being made, regulations are rarely enforced, rules are rarely followed and few are held accountable.
“Part of the problem is that there’s no passenger manifest and because of the time the accident occurred, giving an accurate account of persons, survivors and those missing, is very difficult,” Justin Uche, who is head of the Kogi state office of the National Emergency Management Agency said.
He also urged stricter enforcement of safety regulations to ensure that such incidents are avoided in future.
However, aside the lack of life jackets, poor state of the boats, inadequate safety measures and enforcement are major contributing factors.
A recent check by AHR indicated that collective efforts are needed to rescue the country’s water ways. Based on the countless deaths arising from the mishaps, our check further revealed that boat stakeholders are calling for serious reforms in the industry to reverse the ugly trend.
Stakeholders Lamentations
Against the backdrop of the numerous boat disasters in the country, stakeholders – boat users across the country, have expressed outrage over the incessant boat mishaps that have claimed many lives in the last year.
Reacting to the numerous boat accidents, the immediate past Chairman of the United Waterways Passengers Association, Pius Agbude, said that after winning absolute control of the waterways at the Supreme Court, NIWA had failed to deliver.
“We don’t even know what he is doing yet, even after winning absolute control over waterways through the Supreme Court. NIWA is too docile,” he said.
The Chairman of the United Waterways Passengers Association, Mr Gbenga Oluwadiya, while admitting that boat accidents happen mostly when a boat runs into a wreck, also called for the need for passengers to be properly kitted.
“I think last year ended, and earlier this year, we have had a series of boat mishaps, which I will say is normal because accidents happen everywhere.
“It happens mostly when boats run into wrecks. In all these, if our people are properly kitted, it would have reduced the fatality of the accidents,” he said.
According to Oluwadiya, despite the boat mishaps, waterway transportation was safer than the road.
“I still consider the waterways safer than the roads. What we are doing is sensitising our members on the need to wear their life jackets properly. You know some people will hang out on their neck, and when something happens, the jacket will be off their body. “So, what we are doing is sensitising them, the government is doing its own, and the regulators are doing their own. And as passengers, we are always encouraging them to do the right thing. Another thing is the phobia of water,” he explained.
He advised passengers to wear their life jackets properly and jump into the water when a boat is distressed.
“When a boat is distressed, the best place for you to be is on the water; fasten your life jacket and jump into the water. But some people, because of the water phobia, will remain in the boat, and the pressure of the water will take them and the boat down the bottom of the lagoon,” Oluwadiya noted.
He believed that government agencies could do better in securing lives and properties on the waterways.
“You know there is always room for improvement, and then in every government organisation, they have their challenges. Funding is one and training is another one. And the equipment they will require is another.
“So, we can’t judge NIWA; we can only judge people by the amount of resources they have in their hands. So, they may probably be constrained. You can’t judge them by the fact that they are there; what if they don’t have resources?
“I believe NIWA can do better. The question is, do they have all the support to work well? I don’t want to say they have failed but I believe they can do better,” he stated.
Abductions, Robbery on Waters
Added to the mishaps, insecurity is another worry of the users.
Recently, boat users lamented the rising insecurity on Nigeria’s waterways.
On September 2, 10 maritime workers were abducted by suspected kidnappers in Bonny River Waters, sparking widespread fear among the workers’ union and their families.
Speaking on the development, the President of the Nigeria Association of Masters Mariners, Capt. Tajudeen Alao, acknowledged that NIWA was tasked with managing navigable rivers in no fewer than 28 states, which placed enormous responsibilities on its leadership.
He said, “Marine transportation is different from land transportation, and the geographical coverage is wider. Many communities are located in remote areas, and reaching them is often challenging, but this doesn’t excuse the high number of deaths we have seen”.
Negative Impacts on Tourism and Economy
The accidents combined with insecurity are affecting tourism growth and the economy in no little way. The Nigerian economy is currently struggling to find its foot and improve the lives of the citizens. The nation’s economy by recent indicators is in dire conditions.
The World Travel and Tourism Council released a data showing that the tourism industry in Nigeria has been dealt a devastating blow with the various boat accidents culminating into loss of 770,000 jobs. The statement was released in 2021 shortly after the COVID-19 Pandemic, as it studied the result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect across the country. And the country since then has made little or no effort towards making up these lost opportunities.
Moving Forward out of the quagmire
In tackling the problem, Alao nevertheless suggested that there was significant room for improvement.
He recommended that NIWA could enhance its operations through regular safety awareness campaigns and closer collaboration with local governments, community leaders, and safety volunteers at loading bays.
Also, as a way of addressing these challenges on the nation’s inland waterways, stakeholders have called for greater government participation through investment in modern craft and infrastructure.
These experts attributed overcrowding, late-night voyages, archaic craft, and poor craft maintenance as the most common factors responsible for boat accidents on Nigerian waterways.
The National President of the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria, Comrade Tope Fajemirokun, has urged the government in the northern part of the country to invest in Inland Waterways in their respective states.
Fajemirokun also charged operators on the Northern axis to be open to new ideas about modern ways of running the inland waterways sector of the economy.
He implied that the craft used by the operators is archaic, urging investment and the need for the government to launch sensitisation workshops and campaigns for operators in the region.
“There should be better awareness, just like in Lagos, because I believe there is no better awareness. Also, operators should adapt to new developments, such as in Lagos. Operators there are trapped in their old ways. They should adopt new initiatives and be ready for new ideas.
“Also, the government needs to do a lot, such as media campaigns; the state government must take up the responsibility of building jetties and acquiring modern craft, which shouldn’t be left in the hands of operators alone. The financial capacity is dwarfing the operators. Therefore, the government should come to their rescue,” he stated.
NIWA
Understandably, the National Inland Waterways Authority was established by Decree No. 13 of 1997 (now an Act) and saddled with a clear mandate to manage Nigeria’s vast inland waterway resources.
To oversee these and activities pertaining to them and ensure safety on the nation’s inland waterways, the law vests in NIWA the power of exclusive management, direction, and control of the Nigerian inland waterways. This power is exercised on Nigeria’s 3000km of navigable waterways from the Nigeria/Niger and Nigeria/Cameroon Borders to the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s sad to note that despite all these huge resources, the country is not yet there when it comes to attracting tourists, especially leveraging on the water resources.
The Countles deaths arising from boat accidents cause the fears and nightmare while contemplaiting water transportation as an option, underscoring how unsafe the sector has become over the years. In view of this, Nigerian stakeholders are pushing for transparency and accountability in the marine transport sector, advocating for mechanisms to monitor full compliance with regulations.
As, implementing these measures would prevent future desasters, promote accountability, and restore the elusive safety.
This move would set the pedestal for building trust among stakeholders and users as well as demonstrating responsible stewardship of the regulators. Fears should no longer exist in the minds of travellers as the water ways once again takes its enviable place as a safer means than road.
‘‘NIWA’s operational code outlines amongst others adherence to safety regulations, such as wearing life jackets and avoiding overloading of boats. Any neglectful party risking lives and property of anyone should be fined or tried according to the laid down rules.’’ Should serve as eternal reminder to all.
Lastly, the governments at the centre and sub national level should do everything responsible to get it right and end the carnage on the waters.
