News
Ways to Ensure Waterways Safety in Nigeria Inland Waterways
- A PAPER PRESENTED BY CHIEF RAYMOND GOLD, CO-FOUNDER AND CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE WATERWAYS AWARENESS, ADVANCEMENT AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION IN A STAKEHOLDERS FORUM HELD AT APAPA ON MONDAY THE 10TH OF MARCH 2025, TO SUGGEST IDEAS FOR THE SPECIAL MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON BOAT MISHAPS IN NIGERIA, SET UP BY THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF MARINE AND BLUE ECONOMY, ABUJA.
INTRODUCTION:
In recent times, there has been an increase in the volumes of persons and goods being moved by water across our country Nigeria. One reason behind this increase is the pitiable state of some of our roads. Bad roads increase travel time.
To save time, citizens are gradually embracing water transport as an alternative for both interstates and intrastate travels. Again, within some states, many communities (waterfront communities) are accessible only by water. In such situations the citizens have no other options of travel other than through water.
This increase in water transport patronage, has come with its own challenges including safety challenges. Water transport comes with its own value chain. It include transport, leisure, (tourism) and Fishing (agriculture). Thus any attention paid to fix the challenges of our country’s waterways (including safety challenges), would have a ripple effect on its entire value chain.
The challenges of our waterways include safety, security, poor infrastructure, environmental challenges and more. All these challenges are intertwined and a holistic approach is the best in tackling them.
LOSS OF LIVES AND PROPERTY THROUGH BOAT MISHAPS:
A report published by the Leadership Newspaper sometime in November 2024, put the number of deaths as a result of various boat mishaps on our inland waterways between the year 2000 and 2024, at 1,428. The report also revealed that although, the northern part of our country has low water levels, it recorded the highest volume of casualties.
In the last quarter of 2024, over 200 lives were lost in boat mishaps on the waterways of Kwara and Niger States alone.
As a result of this, SWAAADO worked with WABOTAN, an association of boat owners and drivers, to look into the causes of the boat mishaps. Causative factors as revealed in this collaborative work, include, use of sub-standard boats to travel, poor boat maintenance, night sailing, none use of safety vests (life jackets) and the lack of safety awareness by the the drivers.
For example, findings reveal that out of over 200 passengers involved in the boat mishap that happened on the night of October 1, 2024 in Gbajibo Community, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, over half of the passengers were without life jackets. That boat mishap claimed over a hundred lives.
CAUSES OF BOAT MISHAPS ON OUR INLAND WATERWAYS:
Causes of boat mishaps can be grouped into three, namely: Natural factors, Human factors and
Technical factors.
1. Natural Factors:
These include, strong waves and currents, wrecks and other stumps
on the causeway, piles of sand and silt building up mainly due to indiscriminate
dredging along the waterways that could grind a boat to a sudden halt and cause an
accident, Very bad weather that could affect visibility, and many others. In some
environments, big animals that live in water ( such as crocodiles, alligators, whales,
sharks, hippopotamus, etc, ) could also cause an accident
2. Human Factors:
Human factors includes overloading, night sailing without the necessary navigational equipment on the boats, reckless driving by the boat drivers, nonuse of life jackets or wrong use of same, lack of training and subsequently lack of safety awareness on the part of the captains and the crew, driving with faulty engines, etc. for example, in the accident that happened sometime in August 2024 in Bayelsa state, the engine was running out of fuel and the driver tried to put fuel into the engine without putting off the engine first.
This recklessness on the part of the driver led to a fire outbreak and an explosion that resulted in very severe injuries and loss of lives. Some training in basic safety on the part of the boat driver would have stopped such recklessness.
3. Technical Factors: Technical factors include substandard boats and engines, sudden
failure of engines midway into the journey, inadequate or outright nonexistence of
navigational aids, etc
SUGGESTED WAYS TO REDUCE BOAT MISHAPS ON OUR WATERWAYS:
We suggest the following ways to reduce the incidence of boat mishaps on our waterways.
1. Training and retraining including public sensitization amongst operators and other
stakeholders to build capacity towards safety: Training and retraining of drivers and
their deckhands on basic knowledge of waterways safety such as the type that
SWAAADO does regularly in Lagos in collaboration with WABOTAN, an association of
stakeholders in the water transport sectors.
The curriculum for this training include…rules of the road, basic firefighting techniques, basic first aid procedures such as administering CPR, how to embark and disembark, how to adorn the life jackets properly, etc. SWAAADO in collaboration with WABOTAN, has done this training
consistently in the past seven years.
Many of the operators in the water transport sector (especially out inland waterways) are very informal persons who couldn’t have gone to our maritime academy. This kind of training and workshops would equipped them with the basic knowledge they need to ensure safety in the cause of plying their trade and thus reduce boat mishaps on our waterways.
It also sensitizes the public to appreciate and embrace the use of safety vests such as the life jacket.
2. Regulations and Enforcement:
The regulatory agencies, NIMASA for our coastal waterways and NIWA for our inland waterways should be strengthened to enable them enforce safety regulations on our waterways. Boat drivers should be licensed according to the capacity of the boats they drive….. PDSC certification from NIMASA and the National Boat Drivers’ License from NIWA. Every boat on our waterways should be registered and licensed just as it happens with vehicles on our roads.
Agencies should also sit up to fine/punish offenders to serve as deterrent to others. Such efforts towards regulation and enforcement should be carried out in an inclusive manner involving stakeholders. Both the agencies and stakeholders can co-create a safety culture for our waterways that would in turn reduce boat mishaps and reduce the loss of lives and property that come with such accidents.
3. Government investment in Water Transport Infrastructures and Safety Vests:
The water transport sector is a very huge part of our country’s economy. It is part of a
value chain that boost tourism,(Nautical/Water Tourism) and Agriculture (fishing).
Any investment in this sector is worth it. Governments, both at the federal and state
levels, should invest in this sector through the provision of standard boats for
commercial use, providing standard jetties, etc. Standard life jackets are not cheap.
Some citizens may not be able to afford personal life jackets. Both states and the
federal government should make life jackets available at the jetties where citizens
board boats to travel.
4. MDAs to complement NIWA’s Efforts on our Inland Waterways: State government
should also set up agencies or departments within their various transport ministries
to work with NIWA to ensure safety on the waterways within their states. The job of
ensuring safety on our waterways is enormous and shouldn’t be left to NIWA alone.
Thank you.
Chief Raymond Gold
Tel: 09032140048
Co-founder and Co-Executive Director, SWAAADO
News
Bayelsa Waterways Claim Police Officer, Woman in Two Days as Rescued Commissioner’s Boat Mishap Deepens Safety Fears
Bayelsa Waterways Claim Police Officer, Woman in Two Days as Rescued Commissioner’s Boat Mishap Deepens Safety Fears
Boat Capsize and Tanker-Canoe Collision Within 24 Hours, Renew Waterway Safety Alarm
By Ighoyota Onaibre| Waterways News
A serving police officer and a woman have died in two separate waterway accidents in Bayelsa State, the state Police Command has confirmed, renewing concerns about safety on the Niger Delta’s busy water routes.
In a statement issued Saturday night by its spokesperson, DSP Musa Mohammed, the command said the first accident happened on Thursday. A passenger boat travelling from Yenagoa to Akassa capsized along the Abedigbene waterways in Brass Local Government Area with eight people on board.
Maritime Union workers in the area raised the alarm. Personnel of the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) Formoso, local divers and members of the Abedigbene fishing community then launched a joint search-and-rescue operation. Seven passengers were pulled out alive, among them Bayelsa State Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment, Ebiere Jones, and an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The police officer, initially reported missing, was later confirmed dead.
The second incident happened around 5:20am on Saturday near Angalabiri Community in Sagbama Local Government Area. An oil tanker reportedly operated by Sterling Global Oil Ltd collided with canoes close to the shoreline. Several canoes were destroyed, and a local woman, Mrs Victoria Abetnigo, was seriously injured. She was rushed to Ebedeibiri General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said investigations are ongoing into both incidents.
Commissioner of Police CP Ajao Saka Adewale offered condolences to the families, colleagues and loved ones of the victims. He commended the Navy, local divers, maritime workers and fishermen for their swift response. He also urged commercial vessel operators to follow maritime safety regulations, keep a safe distance from shorelines and established canoe routes, and avoid reckless navigation. Passengers, he said, should wear life jackets throughout their journeys.
NIGERIA WATCH
Two incidents, one lesson: safety on Nigeria’s inland waters is still decided in the first minutes.
The Abedigbene rescue worked because local responders were close by. Fishermen, divers and union workers reached the scene before formal help could, which is typical of Niger Delta emergencies. It also exposes how much of the region’s rescue capacity is informal and unfunded.
The Angalabiri collision points to a different risk: large commercial vessels sharing shoreline lanes with canoes. Small-scale operators and riverine communities bear most of the risk in these encounters. They are also the group least represented in the enforcement conversation, which is a recurring Waterways News concern.
Three questions remain for regulators and operators:
Will the investigations into both incidents be made public, including the cause of the capsize and the tanker’s navigation conduct?
Will life-jacket rules be enforced on small passenger boats and canoes, or only announced?
Will marine safety agencies and state authorities put shared safety corridors and visibility measures in place for canoe routes?
Operator associations such as WABOTAN and ATBOWATON have long argued that safety messaging must reach the last-mile operator, not just licensed fleets.
$200m Fish Lifeline: FG Taps World Bank Funds to Push States Towards Fish Sufficiency
Oyetola Sets Sights on Net Exporter Status as FG Secures $200m World Bank Backing for State-Led Aquaculture
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The Federal Government says it has secured a $200 million commitment from the World Bank Group to drive fisheries and aquaculture production nationwide, as it moves to cut fish imports and close a supply gap of more than 2.2 million tonnes.
The money will be lent to state governments on concessional terms. It is meant to help them expand fish production, attract investment and build viable aquaculture projects.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, announced this at an Executive Training on the Aquaculture Investment Guide, organised by his ministry with the World Bank Group in Abuja. He was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Marine and Blue Economy, Professor Busayo Fakinlede.
Oyetola said fish is central to food security, household nutrition and rural livelihoods, and that Nigeria cannot be food secure while importing most of its fish. He said the goal is to “produce more, import less” and eventually become a net exporter, which he said requires every state to play its part.
The numbers
Nigeria needs about 3.6 million tonnes of fish a year but produces roughly 1.4 million tonnes. Imports cover the gap and cost nearly $1 billion annually in foreign exchange.
State-driven framework
Under the ministry’s framework, each state is expected to:
identify priority aquaculture value chains
assess investment readiness
develop bankable project pipelines
commit to measurable contributions to national fish output
The training brought together commissioners from Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River States, plus permanent secretaries and directors of fisheries and aquaculture from across the federation. It covered business models, risk management, environmental and social safeguards, and public-private partnerships.
A Federal-State interface is also planned to coordinate a national fish security strategy.
Oyetola commended the World Bank for its support on analytical studies, cluster-based development, capacity building and the Aquaculture Investment Guide. He will oversee a post-training stakeholders’ roundtable with states and other stakeholders to sustain momentum.
Ministry’s scorecard
Fakinlede credited the minister’s leadership for:
the August 2026 inauguration of the Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production
digitisation of fish import licensing
a rise in national output from 1.1 million to 1.4 million tonnes
US shrimp-export certification after compliance with Turtle Excluder Device requirements
the Fish City and Fish Terminal investment portfolio to attract private capital
NIGERIA WATCH
Read the fine print. As of 9 November, I could not find a published World Bank project document for the $200 million, and the figure rests on the ministry’s statement. The repayment period, interest rate, per-state allocation and disbursement date have not been made public, and it is unclear whether this is new money or part of financing already agreed. Waterways News should press the ministry on these before treating the figure as settled.
Loans, not grants. States carry the debt and must show bankable projects. Strong states like Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River, whose commissioners attended, sit on the water and are best placed to benefit. Inland and riverine communities lacking project-preparation capacity risk being left behind.
The missing small operators. The framework speaks of investors, PPPs and bankable pipelines. It says little about artisanal fishers, boat operators and fishing communities, including those represented by WABOTAN and ATBOWATON, who supply and move much of the country’s fish. Without cold chains, landing jetties, safe water transport and affordable engines, higher production will not reach markets.
Policy versus delivery. The target is ambitious, with output reportedly up from 1.1 million to 1.4 million tonnes. Yet Nigeria still meets under 40 per cent of its fish demand, and it has heard similar promises before, from the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund onward. The test is whether the roundtable produces dates, allocations and measurable state commitments.
Maritime Security and Safety
IMO Council Mourns Slain Seafarers, Demands Stronger Protection as Maritime Conflicts Deepen
IMO Council Mourns Slain Seafarers, Demands Stronger Protection as Maritime Conflicts Deepen
Dominguez warns merchant ships remain exposed from Hormuz to the Black Sea as 138th Council session ends in London
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
Member states at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) used the opening of the Council’s 138th session to mourn seafarers killed in recent attacks and to demand firmer protection for civilian mariners.
Council met in London from 2 to 6 November, with Russia and Iran putting security in the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of discussions. On 2 November, Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said commercial shipping remained exposed to attack in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The mourning was driven by a run of deaths this year. Five seafarers reportedly died on 29 September during the rescue of the hijacked HONOUR 25 in Somali waters, and several others were seriously injured. In all, 44 seafarers were freed from three vessels. Dominguez noted that 22 seafarers remain captive aboard the ASANA, which was seized earlier this year, and urged continued effort to secure their release.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the deadliest flashpoint. The IMO had verified at least 70 attacks on international shipping there, with 19 seafarers killed, by its late-August assessment. A tally reported by gCaptain put the seafarer death toll at 24 as of 5 November.
Dominguez has repeatedly insisted that seafarers are civilians doing their jobs. He has said they should never become casualties of conflicts to which they are not a party.
Member states echoed the call. Liberia renewed its appeal for seafarer protection and freedom of navigation, and Indonesia said seafarer protection and safety of navigation must be a shared priority.
The session also dealt with leadership. Council backed a second four-year term for Dominguez, subject to approval by the IMO Assembly in 2027. The term would run from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2031.
Nigeria Watch
Nigeria has more at stake than a distant diplomatic debate. Hormuz disruption has fed through to freight rates, war-risk insurance and port costs for Nigerian importers and shippers. Piracy off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden is a reminder that the Gulf of Guinea’s own security gains, including the Deep Blue Project, cannot be taken for granted.
The Council session also bears on Nigeria’s IMO seat. Abuja has pushed seafarer welfare and maritime security as part of its diplomacy, and the Council’s message gives that agenda more weight. The test is whether Nigeria backs its advocacy abroad with welfare protections, training and safety enforcement for its own mariners and for the informal waterway operators represented by WABOTAN and ATBOWATON.
For those operators, the lesson from London is that protection is a shared responsibility, and it has to reach the people who work on the inland water, not just those on ocean-going ships.
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