The continuous boat mishaps claiming lives in the northern region of the country have raised concerns and the need for the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to address the challenges of the waterways transport system.
The series of boat incidents in the Taraba, Niger, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Kwara, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto States in the nine months of 2023 underscores the urgent need to improve safety measures, regulations and awareness on the waterways.
The General Manager, Area Offices Coordination, National Inland Waterways Authority, Tammy Fiberesima, said waterways in Northern Nigeria have many obstructions, such as rocks, water weeds, semi submerged woods resulting from sliding bank vegetation, issue of flooding, being patronised by big dug out wooden canoes, although inadequate.
He said other challenges include poverty, the effect of dams, lack of involvement of private or non-governmental organizations, boat safety promoters, inadequate functional terminal/boat maintenance facilities, lacking navigable channels, and boat operation still run by locals without modern safety inputs.
Fiberesima called for collaboration to tackle these challenges professionally, saying, “We need to properly define the problem, note the gaps, and proffer means and ways to fill the note gaps, with the right professionals, good work culture, synergy with relevant stakeholders, employing verified technologies, effective budgeting that is mindful of priority and cost effectiveness as well as sustainability.”
Also reacting to the distressing number of boat accidents, the spokesperson of NIWA, Jibril Darda’u, attributed the persistent boat accidents to the non-compliant behavior of passengers and boat operators.
He emphasised that overloading and lack of safety compliance were major issues, particularly in the northern region.
The NIWA spokesperson said the agency has observed that passengers in many rural areas do not use life jackets despite being provided with them.
Darda’u informed that NIWA is taking measures to construct three open boats in the northern regions to mitigate overloading and enhance safety of waterways operations.
He added that NIWA plans to engage with governors and lawmakers in the affected areas to include boat construction as part of their constituency projects, thereby reducing boat accidents, especially in rural areas.
The NIWA spokesperson further stated that the agency will persist in raising awareness about the importance of safety measures in boat travel including promoting life jacket usage.
He said boat accidents are less common in the south due to a higher level of education and compliance, while emphasising the need for similar measures in the north.
The spokesperson acknowledged that NIWA cannot tackle this issue alone and hopes for the support of local governments and communities to ensure safer water transport across Nigeria.
