Making our inland waterways safe

Lately, the Nigerian inland waterways have become more of death traps for those who commute by boats across the states. Like our highways, the waterways now record frequent mishaps with casualties in high numbers akin to plane crashes that usually claim lives in three figures.

The latest of such disasters that rattled and outraged the entire nation occurred on October 4, this year, during which more than 300 hapless passengers, mostly women and children, travelling in a wooden boat, were submerged by the River Gbajibo in Mokwa local government area of Niger state. After frantic efforts by local divers, about 70 corpses were recovered, 150 persons rescued and the remaining victims could not be accounted for by the time the search was called off.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while reacting to the tragedy has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mishap which is seen as unprecedented in the annals of waterway transportation in the country.

Speaking on the incident, a top-ranking official of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mrs. Sarat Braimah, exonerated her organisation from any laxity and accused the boat operators of illegal activities by sailing at night which was against water transportation code. She said that on the fateful day, the operators waited until the closing hours before loading passengers for the perilous journey.

Another three-figure casualty incident had struck on June 13, last year. The calamity involving a 300-capacity boat occurred at Egbu Village in Kwara state claiming the lives of about 100 passengers who were returning from a wedding ceremony at a neighbouring Egboti Village in Niger state. At the end of the frantic search-and-rescue operation, about 50 bodies were recovered. A father and his four children were among the those that perished in the unfortunate disaster.

Available statistics show that more than 400 lives are lost annually across Nigeria’s 3,400km inland waterways network with less than half of it unchartered. It is curious to note that most of these boat disasters are occurring in the hinterland of the North.

Many factors have been attributed to these unfortunate phenomena. Notable among them are weak and inadequate enforcement of regulations guiding water transportation by the NIWA. Others include use of old and poorly maintained boats that are not river-worthy, neglect of the waterways, recklessness and greed on the part of boat operators leading to overloading of passengers and non-adherence to safety regulations by the operators and the passengers.  

It makes no sense boating at night along the waterways, during which most of the accidents occur, without the benefit of good illumination. It is like groping in the dark and it smacks of sheer irresponsibility on the part of boat operators even when their own lives are also imperiled. An instance of such recklessness played out last Tuesday when a wooden boat with the inscription “Only God 13” collided with another boat, killing at least 21 passengers at Imore Town of Amuwo-Odofin local government area of Lagos state. The calamity left everyone wondering how such a disaster could occur on a lagoon that is as wide as the sky. The reason for the tragedy was placed at the door step of darkness.

The NIWA is understandably in the eye of the storm. One of its core responsibilities is to ensure safety along our waterways. That boat and canoe disasters have become rampant in recent times is, indeed, an indictment on the agency. The phenomena, therefore, calls for urgent attention from government at all levels. Water transportation is one of the cheapest means of movement of humans and goods among people residing in riverine areas across the states. Many boat users see it as a way to escape kidnapping and banditry that have made the highways unsafe nowadays.

The agency responsible for safe water transportation should be overhauled as a matter of national emergency. More river marshals should be recruited and equipped with necessary facilities to police our waterways and appropriate regulations enforced in the manner that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) ensure sanity on our highways. Boating at night must be discouraged outrightly by highlighting the inherent dangers.

As we stated in our recent editorial, the federal and state governments should pay more attention to our waterways by rehabilitating them in the same manner our highways are maintained, rehabilitated and reconstructed. Some of the disasters are caused by obstacles hidden beneath the surface of the rivers. This can be achieved through dredging of the two major rivers – River Niger and River Benue – as well as the arterial rivers across the states.

Besides, the factors responsible for boat mishaps as listed above, boat operators should be properly trained and licensed to ensure safety of waterway users. It should also be made mandatory for boat operators to provide lifebuoys to their passengers. Many lives would have been saved if the passengers were fitted with such kits before boarding the boats.    

Finally, the NIWA officials should ensure that all boats used for waterway transportation are periodically inspected for river-worthiness. Those that are found unfit should be demobilised.