Picture: Over 60 people perished in this accident
By Foster Obi
As Nigeria races to unlock the potential of its inland waterways to decongest its seaports and cut logistics costs, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is under renewed pressure. Beyond its institutional and regulatory challenges, NIWA also faces harsh criticism over repeated fatal boat accidents on the country’s rivers, incidents that raise serious questions about safety, enforcement, and its capacity to deliver on its mandate. Some of the reported incidents are as follows.
In October 2025 in Kogi State, a boat carrying traders on the River Niger in the Ibaji Local Government Area capsized. At least 14 people were confirmed dead, 24 rescued, and 42 passengers reported missing.
In September 2025 in Niger State, a vessel carrying over 100 passengers for a condolence visit struck a submerged tree stump and capsized near the Gausawa community in the Borgu Local Government Area. The death toll rose to at least 60 people.
Also in August 2025 in Sokoto State, an overloaded boat heading to Goronyo Market capsized, leaving over 40 people missing. NEMA deployed rescue teams, and about 10 people were initially rescued.
In July 2025 in Niger State, a boat accident near Gumu village in the Shiroro area claimed at least 25 lives, including 10 members of the same family.
In December 2024 in Benue State, a boat carrying around 70 traders to a market capsized on the Benue River. At least 10 bodies were recovered, and 50 people were rescued.
In October 2024 in Niger State, a wooden boat with nearly 300 passengers, many of them women and children returning from a religious festival, capsized in the Mokwa area. Initial reports indicated over 100 people were missing, with at least 60 confirmed dead.
Also, in September 2024, in Zamfara State, an overloaded boat carrying farmers across a river to their fields capsized, drowning at least 40 people.
These accidents are not isolated. Safety advocates argue that they reflect deeper systemic issues ranging from rickety boats to lax enforcement and inadequate capacity.
Regulatory overlaps, inconsistent enforcement
Fleet operators and barge companies continue to voice frustration over NIWA’s tangled relationship with state-level authorities, particularly in Lagos. With overlapping jurisdiction, dual levies, and parallel approval processes, the regulatory burden remains heavy. Meanwhile, many boats being used for passenger transport are far from standard. According to NIWA itself, up to 75 percent of the roughly 2,200 boats on Lagos waterways are unseaworthy.
NIWA’s defence and reform push
NIWA’s management, during the tenure of its now resigned Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, acknowledged the scale of the problem and insisted it was taking concrete steps. The MD, however, believes that the problem is beyond NIIWA.
Oyebamiji, who resigned to pursue his 2026 Osun State governorship ambition, reiterated to The Punch last week that to effectively and efficiently make a substantial impact on the waterways, NIWA would require consistent substantial funding.
“While there, as expected from a big organisation such as NIWA, our major challenge was the poor attitude of people to safety on the inland waterways. Regardless of our efforts and achievements, once there is an accident on the waterways, it sets us back by many miles.
“Another challenge is funding. To effectively manage and make a substantial impact on the waterways, the authority requires substantial funding consistently,” Oyebamiji said.
He called for a considerable shift in the attitude of users of the waterways, stressing that safety begins with individuals.
“In any case, our experience while there showed human errors as the leading causes of accidents on the inland waterways. Secondly, the agency requires substantial funding to deliver on its mandates. This, however, could be achieved through strong collaboration with the states and private interests,” he advised.
“We removed wrecks in key corridors and greatly expanded our hydrographic surveys,” a NIWA official told our reporter.
“There has been progress: the waterways are safer than they were five years ago. But we also know that more must be done.”
In response to the rising death toll, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, inaugurated a Special Committee in early 2025 to tackle the root causes of these accidents. The committee, chaired by the NIWA MD, was tasked with reviewing commercial boat operations, licensing practices, safety standards, and recommending reforms.
The committee’s report, submitted to the Ministry, proposed several major reforms including:
A national boat design policy to standardise craft used on waterways, Mandatory certification and training for boat captains, Increased funding for NIWA to strengthen marine-engineering capacity, Search and rescue stations strategically placed along high-risk waterways, and Distribution of thousands of life jackets in riverine communities. NIWA alone says it has distributed 42,000 life jackets across several states to reduce fatalities.
Still a gap between policy and practice
Critics note that while reforms are promising on paper, NIWA’s capacity to enforce them remains uncertain. Many waterways still lack adequate buoy markers, channel surveys remain irregular, and some operators continue to use heavily worn wooden vessels. A regional water-safety expert told this paper, “You can have the best regulations in the world, but if NIWA doesn’t patrol, enforce, and punish, accidents will keep happening.”
Indeed, the recent high-casualty accidents suggest that oversight lapses are not simply administrative; they are material. Overloading, lack of life jackets, night-time travel, and poorly maintained craft all show up repeatedly in NEMA and NIWA’s own investigations.
NIWA stands at a critical point. Its role in the federal government’s plan to shift cargo and people from road to water is central but its reputation is battered by recurring boat disasters. While the agency has launched a serious reform effort, stakeholders warn that the human cost of failure is too high. Unless NIWA translates its strategy into rigorous enforcement and tangible action, the tragedy of Nigeria’s waterways may continue in painful new chapters.
Picture: Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam (Ozo Ebubechukwu Umuawulu, Eze-Oba Nri
