By Joshua Yousouph
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) have pledged to strengthen collaboration aimed at improving safety and reducing the incidence of boat accidents across Nigeria’s inland waterways.
This commitment was made on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the Director General of NSIB, Captain Alex Sabundu Badeh Jnr, to the Acting Managing Director of NIWA, Malam Umar Yusuf Girei, at the Authority’s headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Speaking during the meeting, Girei said the partnership between both agencies would focus on information sharing, collaboration and joint operations designed to address the persistent challenge of boat mishaps on the nation’s waterways.
He emphasized that effective cooperation among relevant stakeholders remains crucial to ensuring safer navigation and protecting lives and property on inland waterways.
According to him, NIWA is committed to strengthening its relationship with sister agencies to improve safety standards and enhance enforcement of regulations governing water transportation in the country.
“NIWA is dedicated to strengthening partnerships with sister agencies to improve safety standards and enforce regulations for safer water transportation in Nigeria,” Girei stated.
The Acting Managing Director further assured the NSIB delegation of NIWA’s readiness to provide relevant information, technical expertise and operational support required to facilitate timely investigations into marine incidents.
He noted that such collaboration would also contribute to the development of preventive measures capable of reducing future occurrences of boat accidents and enhancing public confidence in water transportation.
Earlier, the Director General of NSIB, Captain Badeh, said the visit was aimed at deepening the existing relationship between both agencies and identifying new areas of cooperation.
According to him, the proposed collaboration would cover accident investigation, data sharing and the promotion of safety standards, all geared towards improving safety outcomes within Nigeria’s inland waterways sector.
The renewed partnership between NIWA and NSIB is expected to enhance accident investigation processes, strengthen safety oversight and support ongoing efforts to make inland water transportation safer and more reliable for commuters and operators across the country.
