The House of Representatives has charged the Ministries of Marine and Blue Economy and Transportation to investigate recent boat mishaps in the country, saying such inquiry had become necessary in order to provide insights and recommendations as to how to improve maritime safety in the country.
The Green chamber also urged the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to enforce safety regulations and ensure compliance with international maritime standards on the country’s waterways.
The parliament, which observed a minute silence in honour of victims of recent boat mishap in Kogi State, also mandated its Committees on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, and Inland Waterways to ensure compliance with the resolutions.
This followed the adoption of a motion by the member representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, Unyime Idem, at yesterday’s plenary, calling the attention of the House to incessant boat mishaps in the country.
Idem, in the motion, stated that there have been several boat mishaps in the country in recent time. He pointed out that on November 29, 2024, there was a boat mishap along the Dambo-Ebuchi waterways of the River Niger in Kupa Local Government Area of Kogi State.
According to him, no fewer than 160 passengers were involved in the incident. He explained that about 54 of the passengers have been confirmed dead, while only 24 persons have been rescued, with remaining unaccounted for.
The lawmaker stated that “the Kogi boat mishap marks the third passenger boat accident in Nigeria within a span of just 60 days. In a similar tragic incident, precisely October 3, 2024, a wooden dugout canoe carrying approximately 300 passengers capsized and sank in the River Niger, resulting in the loss of nearly 200 lives.
“Just last week, a collision between two boats in Delta State, southern Nigeria, claimed the lives of five people. The recurrence of these devastating incidents, culminating in the recent Kupa boat mishap in Kogi State, underscores the urgent need for improved maritime safety measures in Nigeria.”
Idem further noted that experts in the maritime sector have identified a number of factors responsible for the frequent boat mishaps in the country.
These factors, according to him, include “inadequate boat maintenance and poor design, overloading, lack of essential safety equipment and emergency response plans, insufficient training for boat operators and a lack of strict regulatory enforcement.”
He stated that though NIMASA and NIWA are responsible for enforcing safety regulations in the maritime sector, they are “reportedly more focused on revenue generation than ensuring the safety of passengers.”
The lawmaker, while stating that the frequency of boat accidents has raised concerns about the safety of Nigeria’s waterways, argued that if nothing is done “to improve safety and emergency response systems, Nigerians will continue to face psychological trauma, economic losses, and untimely deaths” in avoidable boat mishaps.
