• After series of mishaps
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has slammed an immediate ban on all unlicensed boats and illegal loading points nationwide as part of fresh moves to curb the rising wave of deadly boat mishaps.
Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji, announced the crackdown at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, warning that commercial boats must now load only from NIWA-recognised jetties.
“No commercial passenger boat shall be allowed to load from any unauthorised point. It is also mandatory for all operators to enforce the use of lifejackets, display boat names and load lines. All unlicensed boats and their operators are banned with immediate effect,” Oyebamiji declared.
The directives come after a spate of tragic accidents on Nigeria’s waterways in recent months.
In April, traders drowned when a boat capsized during a storm on the Niger River. In July, a passenger boat carrying rice and livestock crashed into a submerged log on the Shiroro River, killing at least 15 persons.
Sokoto and Niger states have also been hit by multiple tragedies, including the September capsizing of a wooden boat that claimed over 27 lives in Borgu LGA.
NIWA insists the new rules will be strictly enforced to protect passengers and restore sanity to inland transport.