The recent avoidable boat accidents in Lagos and Niger states have brought to the fore the increasing danger in water transportation and the need to monitor the activities of the operators in the sector. The two boat mishaps resulted to loss of lives and goods. In the Lagos boat mishap, not less than 21 passengers were feared drowned on Monday, October 7, at Imore Town in the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of the State, when two boats, each ferrying 16 passengers, collided and capsized in the middle of the lagoon. Not less than 11 passengers were rescued from the incident.
The Lagos incident took place few days after a similar tragedy occurred in Niger State in which scores of people reportedly died after a boat carrying mostly women and children capsized. The locally made wooden boat, with a capacity of 100 passengers, had about 300 people on board when it overturned. The passengers were returning from an Islamic religious festival when the accident occurred. Both incidents occurred in the night.
Before now, Nigeria had witnessed similar boat mishaps with high casualty figures. For instance, On September 14, 2024, at least 64 people were feared dead following a boat accident on a river in Zamfara State. The boat carrying 70 farmers capsized as it was transporting them across the river to reach their farmlands. In September last year, at least 26 bodies were recovered and 44 declared missing after a boat capsized in a river in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State. The mishap occurred between the Jabba and Kainji dams.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that over 100 persons, who boarded the boat, were on the way to their farms located on the other side of the River Niger. Within the same period, a boat conveying people to their farms in Njuwa Lake capsized, killing about 15 persons in Adamawa State on September 9. Another mishap led to the death of 11 people two days later. Also, four people were killed in Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi State over boat mishap. On August 24, 2023, 12 people were killed in a boat accident at a river, Kogi Kungra Kamfani, in Arikiya, Lafia council of Nasarawa State.
Two months earlier, on June 12 a boat mishap in Patigi, Kwara State, led to the loss of many lives estimated at about 106. The boat was said to be conveying about 250 people from a village to another, all within Patigi local government area, when the mishap occurred. In Sokoto State, 15 children drowned and 25 others declared missing when a boat capsized in a river in May 2023. Within the same month, eight persons reportedly died in the accident that occurred in Gusau, Zamfara. In April 2023, a tragic boat mishap at Okoroma community along the Brass waterways in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State led to the death of five passengers.
According to an investigation by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) on the incessant boat mishaps in Nigeria, over 300 lives were lost on the waterways in 2023. Given the rapidity of the accidents this year, the casualty rate may have outnumbered the 2023 figure. The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), which regulates internal maritime transport, has cited non-adherence to laws regulating inland waterways navigation as a major cause of the accident.
Night travel, excessive loading, and non-use of life jackets and over-speeding are also factors that largely contribute to frequent boat mishaps. Some of these boats are poorly maintained. Most of them use only one engine to power the boat. They lack spare engine to power the boat should one fail. Other causes include mechanical faults such as engine failure, absence of navigational aids and non-availability of search and rescue services.
There is need for strict regulation of boat operations activities on the inland waterways to minimise the high rate of accidents in the sector. All the safety regulations must be complied with. Operators should desist from travelling at night and under turbulent weather conditions. They should adequately be trained and monitored to ascertain the state of their health before embarking on travels.
The government should provide the boat operators with safety kits, navigational devices to enhance their safety. NIWA must ensure that all boat operators comply with the rules guiding inland water transportation across the country. All passengers and crew members must wear life jackets while on board. Rickety boats should not be used for inland water transportation. All boats must be confirmed sea worthy before being deployed for water transportation. The regulatory authorities should inspect the boats regularly. We urge state governments to set up agencies that will oversee water transportation in the state. However, these agencies will complement the regulatory oversights of NIWA.