A former Minister of Interior and Chairman of Integrated Oil and Gas, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, has called for urgent need for a comprehensive national policy solution to address the frequent marine accidents following the recent rising number of boat mishaps on the nation’s inland waterways.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Fellows’ Luncheon of the Centre for Marine Surveyors in Nigeria, Iheanacho stressed that as precious lives are lost in each of those incidences, so are there other consequences. “The frequent maritime incidents in Nigeria inland waterways have severe social, political, economic, and reputational consequences,” Captain Iheanacho said.
L-R: Captain Fola Ojutalayo, PhD.,; Engr. Akin Olaniyan; Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, Special Guest; Engr. Adebambo Ademuluyi and his wife.According to him, such policy should include robust risk mitigation strategies to enhance safety on the waterways.
Iheanacho, who also chairs the Waterside Centre, Nigeria, noted that the frequency of these occurrences paints a negative picture of Nigeria’s maritime industry, which could discourage investment.
He explained the importance of infrastructure development and called for the establishment of emergency response systems, rescue operations, and a functional weather alert system to help reduce the number of maritime accidents.
He stated that the government must grow the capacity to strictly regulate waterways transport so these avoidable deaths can be stopped.
He made reference to a study by Premium Times, which looked at the issue of waterway accidents in four years, and discovered that 71fatal boat accidents were recorded along the River Niger and its tributaries between 2019 and 2023.
“At least 1,072 lives were lost in those accidents within the four years surveyed.
“These Nigerians need not die if the authorities had taken precaution to ensure that we had marine surveyors.
“Marine surveyors are professionals who guarantee quality in terms of how you comport yourself in the marine environment, the type of equipment you use, the hardware you use, the type of infrastructure, the procedure that must be followed.
“There has to be a lot of investment in the National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA). Government has to look for the money, so they can develop these capacities to ensure that we have safer inland waterways transport,” Iheanacho said.
Similarly, President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors in Nigeria, Engr. Akin Olaniyan, warned against the improper use of life jackets which could be more dangerous than not wearing one.
Olaniyan explained that it is wrong to wear a life jacket inside an enclosed boat, while he added that every watercraft must have the lifesaving gear on board at all times.
His words: “Wearing a life jacket inside a closed ferry is a very dangerous practice. Let us look at it from another perspective that if you are on an airplane and there is an accident and you find yourself on the water. You are warned to get out of the plane before you inflate your life jacket. The same thing should apply on our waterways.”
Meanwhile, Captain Iheanacho listed boat operator training, passenger limits, building jetties, and community engagement as part of measurements to be taken in addressing the issue. For a bigger national picture, the master mariner highlighted need for regulatory reforms among other actions.
Recognised at the event were Engr. Ademola Mumuni and his wife; Prince Adebambo Ademuluyi and his wife; Captain Fola Ojutalayo and his wife Chizoba; Capt Tajudeen Alao, and Engr. Anthony Cookey.
