Kehinde Fajobi
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is planning to phase out wooden boats on Nigeria’s inland waterways, citing their role in frequent accidents.
NIWA Managing Director Bola Oyebamiji shared this development during an interactive session with editors in Lagos, focusing on safety and expansion of water transport.
Oyebamiji highlighted that over 90% of the boats on Nigerian waterways are wooden, and these boats account for most of the nation’s waterway accidents.
He explained that many of these operators ignore basic safety protocols, such as avoiding nighttime travel, preventing overloading, and ensuring passengers wear life jackets.
“Travelling at night is a criminal offence. Most of these boats have no lights at all. Overloading is also an issue. And the boats are piloted by people with the lowest education in Nigeria,” Oyebamiji said.
To improve short-term safety, NIWA has increased its marshal count from 80 to 350 to monitor compliance at jetties across Nigeria, providing oversight both in the morning and evening.
The agency is also conducting a public safety campaign, both at jetties and through the media, in English and local languages.
NIWA’s long-term goal is to fully phase out wooden boats. Oyebamiji said NIWA is working closely with the Presidency and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, led by Minister Adegboyega Oyetola, to implement this change nationwide.
Additionally, NIWA plans to deploy more patrol boats, with assistance from the Nigerian Navy, to monitor operators.
“A lot of people bring God into this matter of safety on waterways, when we are the problem ourselves. Our characters and behaviours are the great determinants here,” Oyebamiji added.
“We will continue to push by applying education, enlightenment, and sanction where needed, until we have zero fatalities on our waterways.”