By Stephen Ubanna,
When Adegboyega Oyetola, the immediate past governor of Osun state was appointed as minister of the newly created minister of marine and blue economy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not many people took him serious because of the challenges of the nation’s maritime industry, particular frequent mishaps.
The issue of boat mishaps appears to have become more pronounced during the eight years of the Late President Muhammed Buhari’s Administration with no clear policy thrust to address the challenge that was said to have claimed hundreds of lives in different parts of the riverine area of the country.
Minister Oyetola, who did not want to follow the footsteps of Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, Senator Buko and la Saraki and Engr. Muazu Jaji Sambo, all former ministers of Transportation, under Buhari’s Administration who had a mandate to supervise the nation’s maritime industry but left it as they had inherited it: boat mishap.
Given his political background as one seeking elective office who had embarked on electioneering Campaign making promises to the people of what to do to make life better for the people of the state, the former Osun state governor had given his words ‘’to tackle boat mishap decisively’’.
True to his words, the minister, who is determined to make boat mishap a thing of the past in the country was said to have set up a 16-member on February 27, 2025 special Committee on the prevention of the challenge. The Committee had been tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of commercial boats operations in Nigeria, identifying causes of boat mishaps and proposing sustainable solutions.
He was said to have assured the Committee members that they have no cause to worry about carrying out the national assignment as President Tinubu, would not allow their efforts to be in vain. The minister who could not hide his feelings may have gladdened the heart of the Committee members when he declared: the Federal Government, FG, will implement all their recommendations to the later to avoid the mistakes of the past Administrations.
On Friday, August 1, 2025, Bola Oyebamiji, Managing Director, Nigerian Iland Water Ways Authority, NIWA, who incidentally was the Chairman of the Special Committee on Prevention of Boat Harps, accompanied by other members of the Committee who had worked according to the mandate given to them by the minister who has the ears of Tinubu, had submitted their report had vowed , which the Osun state former governor had vowed that ‘’the government would ‘’implement sweeping reforms in the nation’s maritime industry’’ that would be guided by the report of the Committee to improve safety of boat users across the riverine states.
While receiving the sic chapter report which includes ‘’detailed analysis of current operation of of boat owners, regulatory gaps, design standards and institutional capacity’’, from the Committee Chairman, beaming with smiles at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the minister who was said to have repeatedly stressed the government’s unwavering commitment to making Nigerian waters safe for all boat users.
Hear Him: Boat mishaps were unaccountable and preventable, and must be tackled through a blend policy enforcement, stakeholder cooperation and behavioural change. He was emphatic that the safety of the Nigeria boat users is not just a policy responsibility of the government but a moral duty, noting that every life lost in a boat mishap is one too many.
The minister had stated unequivocally that ‘’that the report of the Committee will serve as a foundation for immediate long terms in the nations maritime industry that would prevent the persistent boats. As a prelude to implementing the report of the special Committee, he had said: We will study the recommendations of the Committee closely and act where policy adjustments or Constitutional coordination are required.
He may have prepared the minds of the boat users for implementation of the Committee’s recommendations when stressed the urgent need for attitudinal change among water transport users, particular, the use of live jackets, describing such safety gear as non-negotiable.
He may have sent shocker to the boat owners who are only interested in making profit from boat transport business, when he sounded it loud and clear that the government which is out to act the report of the Committee is set’ ’to phase out rickety boats that had been implicated on fatal accidents and replace them with safer, standard-compliant alternatives’’.
Note that the Oyebamiji led Committee was said to have made 64 recommendations that was said to have been reviewed by four technical sub-Committees as 17 key proposals were said to have been highlighted in the last chapter of the Committee’s report for implementation which include the establishment of the Coast Guard to enforce water way safety regulations, creation of a Nation Boat Design Policy to standardize permitted vessel types, mandatory certification and formal training for Boat Operators , increased funding for NIWA, to strengthen hydrographic and engineering functions and setting up search and rescue stations at strategic locations across inland water ways.
Appealing to governors of the riverine states across the country and other sub-national Authorities to align with the FG, initiatives, he had declared that ‘’the fight against boat mishaps cannot be won by the government alone but for all the parties to collaborate in enforcing standards that would save lives of boat users.
It would be recalled that the minister had begun a nationwide distribution life jacket to riverine and coastal communities across the riverine states as part of a strategic intervention to curb the alarming rate of boat mishaps and related fatalities which his predecessors could not do for the eight years they were in office at different times.
It was not surprising why he has urged the beneficiaries of the life jacket ‘’to proritise safety by consistently and correctly using the life jackets whenever they are travelling on water.
