The Federal Government has introduced stricter measures to enhance safety across Nigeria’s waterways, mandating the use of life jackets and beginning the gradual phase-out of unsafe, ageing wooden boats.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, announced the new directives at a stakeholders’ meeting on marine safety awareness held at the Government House Multipurpose Hall in Minna, Niger State.
“The safety of lives on our waterways must be prioritised,” Oyetola stated. “From now on, the use of life jackets is compulsory, and rickety, unseaworthy boats must be completely withdrawn from service. It is our collective duty to safeguard the marine transport system.”
As part of efforts to foster a culture of safety, the Minister distributed 3,500 life jackets to stakeholders across 12 states. The meeting brought together key figures in the sector, including boat operators, passengers, riverside community leaders, and water marshals from the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
The Minister was accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oritola, and the Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji. He noted that while routine dredging of inland waterways is ongoing, financial constraints continue to limit the Ministry’s operational reach.
“Our Ministry is tasked with dredging over 853 square kilometres of inland water reservoirs,” he said. “Regrettably, budgetary limitations hinder us from executing this mandate on a broader scale.”
On the dormant Baro Port in Niger State, Oyetola attributed its inactivity to significant infrastructural shortcomings.
“Nearly seven years after its commissioning by former President Muhammadu Buhari, Baro Port remains largely inaccessible due to the lack of functional access roads,” he explained. “Infrastructure development must align with marine growth for such investments to be effective.”
Niger State was selected as the distribution launch site due to its vast water bodies and the country’s highest reported number of boat accident fatalities.
Representing Governor Umaru Bago, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, praised the Federal Government’s initiative.
“This effort is both timely and commendable. The Niger State Government will play its part in bridging existing gaps to ensure that safety becomes a core value in our riverine communities,” Sarkindaji remarked.
The marine safety meeting aimed to raise awareness among waterway users and authorities, as the Federal Government intensifies its commitment to reducing accidents and improving the safety and reliability of water transport across Nigeria.