By Stephen Ubanna
For years, there had been incessant cases of boat mishaps in Nigerian coastal and Inland Waterways than in Byelsa, Delta and Rivers state, which are core riverine states. The boats mishap incidents are said to be more in Kwara, Niger, Kogi,Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi compared to Bayela, Delta and Rivers which are core riverine states, coastal and Inland water ways. but not much had been done by the past and present Management of the Nigerian Inland Water Ways Authority, NIWA, under the close watch of Bola Oyebamiji, despite the ministerial backing.

Past and present Management of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority NIWA, Authorities, were said to have made efforts to achieve zero level of insecurity in Nigerian waterways by taking the bold initiative to phase out wooden boats on the country’s Inland waterways but that was how they could go. The NIWA, Authorities urge to phase out the wooden boat appears to have become pronounced after a wooden boat, with a capacity of 100 passengers but had about 300 people on board had overturned in early October 2024, in the rural Mokwa axis in Niger state, resulting in the death of over 100 passengers.
Bola Oyebamiji, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NIWA, an agency under the ministry of the marine and blue economy, under the close watch of Oyetola Adegboyega, who incidentally was a former governor of Osun state, had alluded to the plan to phase out the wooden boats across the country as a way to stop the incessant boats mishaps across the country’s coastal and Inland Waterways.
He had said that the planned phasing out of the use of wooden boats in water transportation across the country would be an addition to some of the measures that had already been deployed by the agency ‘’ to regulate the activities of the boat operators and the conduct of passengers among others, particular, the introduction of the Transport Code, which outlines the dos and don’ts of the operators and passengers on board the boat.
T former governor of Osun state who is not happy over the incessant boat mishaps in Nigerian Coastal and Inland Waterways and the resultant loss of lives had thrown his weight behind Oyebamiji, the incumbent CEO, of NIWA, and his management team, to stop the menace.
The minister who is determined to checkmate the activities of the boat operators in Nigerian Waterways, may have come to the conclusion that the only way out to stop the frequent boat mishaps and save lives along the country’s Coastal and Inland water ways is ‘’to standardize water transportation by ensuring that operators and passengers complies with the country’s waterways Code.
NIWA, helmsman, who may have seen the Coastal and In lands Water Ways Transportation Code, as a’’ game changer had described it as the agency’s new approach to safety’’. He was said to have told those cares to listen that the Transportation Code was designed ‘’to standardize boat operations, minimize accidents and create a more structured environment of potential local and foreign investors.
An inside had r told The Value News that the Transportation Code had been in the works for years but Oyebamiji, the incumbent Managing Director of NIWA, may have taken advantage of close working relationship with the minister of marine and blue economy to push for the Presidential approval of the long-awaited Inland Waterways Transportation Code. He was said to have achieved the feat within six months.
The IMWA boss, may have gladdened the heart of Nigerians when he stated recently that the new Inland Water Ways Transportation Code that had been approved by the Nigerian Government are part of effort ‘’to protect lives, safeguard property as well as preserve the country’s water ways environment and infrastructure from potential wizards linked to maritime violations’’.
Going by the guidelines of the newly introduced NIWA, Inland Water Ways Transportation Code, stakeholders are not allowed to sail in Nigeria waterways at night but confine their operations within the time frame of between 6 Am and 6 PM, which is an interval of 10 hours.
The boat operators are also not allowed to carry passengers beyond the capacity of the boat, use old and rickety or boat considered to be over five years of age and which had not been properly overhauled to make fit to sail in Nigerian waters.
The NIWA, Transportation Code may have come out with other tough rules that enjoins operators to always wear their life jackets before entering the boat to sail out.
Another condition that was said to have been spelt out for the boat operators and passengers in the Inland Transportation Code was that all operators must be properly registered with NIWA, to guide against over speeding in the coastal and Inland water ways route.
The Code was said to have also stated that boat operators must always consider it as a matter of necessity to check the weather condition on a daily basis to ensure that it is suitable and safe for sailing. Not only that the boat operators were also directed ‘’to share safety knowledge with passengers before sailing as obtained in flying aircrafts where the air hostess usually acquaint the passengers of the safety procedures that are to adopted during emergency or sudden loss of cabin pressure while on flight or sudden landing on water.
More importantly, the NIWA, Transportation Code was said to have equally made it clear that all the Local boat operators must ‘’ensure safe free board during Navigation’’ , meaning that the distance between the level of water and the upper edge of the side of the boat must be kept within safety limit while in the case of emergency the boat operator must do everything possible to discharge the human cargo on board the boat to reduce the risk of water entering overboard. It noted that where there is powerful storm or strong wind on the water ways, the oat operator must ‘’discontinue the journey as quickly as possible and sail towards the shoreline to save lives’’.
Many believe that if the boat operators and passengers had complied to the NIWA, Transportation Code, as expected in the recent time without bribing their way to move with over loaded wooden boats, the accidents would have been minimized considerably.
They may have to watch it. This is because the former Osun state governor would not take it as he has risen up to the challenge to put the situation under control. He was said to have inaugurated a six-member Special Committee ‘’to address the incessant boats mishap in Nigerian Inland water ways.
Given that Oebamiji, the NIWA, CEO, had made a bold statement with the implementation of the Inland Water ways Transportation Code to stop the menace, may have informed why he has been given the additional responsibility by the minister to be the Chairman of the Committee to achieve the desired result.

Other members of the ministerial Committee to address the problem boats mishap across the country includes Dayo Mobereola, Director General, NIMASA, who, maritime analysts had said is doing everything within his powers ‘’to reposition and reform the agency, Prof. S. Abiodun, ED- NIOMR, A.M. Sule, ED-NIFFR, BD while Olaosekinlede, TA- HM-FMMBE while DD-IWW, would serve as the Secretary of the Committee.
Members of the Committee, were said to have been given the nod ‘’to review the operations of the commercial boat operators in the coastal Inland water ways with a view ‘’to addressing the incessant boats mishaps across the country.
The minister who could not his feelings had said that ‘’it has become a matter of urgent concern for the Committee to proffer solutions to reduce boat accidents in Nigerian waters to the barest minimum’’. He was said to have charged the Committee as well ‘’to come up with recommendations and actionable plans that would checkmate frequent boat accidents in Nigerian waters to save lives and property.
As a part of the ministerial mandate, the Committee were said to have been further urged to dig deep into the causative factors of the boat mishaps in Nigeria, current boat operations safety and security compliance as well as the existing boat specifications in relation to acceptable standards as spelt out in the Inland Transportation Code.
The minster was said to have asked the Committee members ‘’to go a step further ‘’to develop a comprehensive action plan to address their findings from the assessment boat accidents that had been recorded in the country over the years and come out with measures that would guarantee ‘’safe commercial boats transport operations in the country’s coastal and Inland Waterways.
Anastasia Ogbonna, the ministry’s’ Information and Public Relations official, had said that the Committee, which has 21 days to submit its report to the minister had been given the additional responsibility ‘’to develop a standard design specification for basic categories of Commercial boats for Coastal and Inland Waterways.
The ministry of marine and blue economy spokesperson had said that the Committee members were the free hand ‘’to consider any other related measures /issues that may be deemed appropriate for a safe and viable commercial boat operations in the Coastal and Inland Waterways transport system to address the frequent boat accidents across the country’’.