The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has blamed the recurring boat accidents across Nigeria on passengers’ and operators’ failure to use life jackets and unsafe navigation practices.
NSIB Director-General, Capt Alex Badeh Jr, disclosed this during a virtual briefing with journalists, saying repeated safety violations in the maritime sector continued despite investigations and recommendations.
Badeh said the situation differed from the aviation sector, where operators had acted on the bureau’s safety recommendations to prevent similar accidents from recurring.
“Most of the accidents or incidents we have investigated haven’t reoccurred because of those same issues,” he said.
“That’s because those in the aviation sector are taking our investigative reports and addressing them.
At least on the aviation side, we’ve not seen the same issue happen over and over again.”
He, however, said maritime operators continued to repeat basic safety violations, particularly the failure to wear life jackets.
“With the maritime sector, however, we continue to see the same issues repeatedly, particularly the failure to use life jackets,” Badeh said.
“I think that has more to do with culture than anything else, but we’re working on it.”
The NSIB chief said the bureau was working with relevant stakeholders, including the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), to address safety concerns such as night navigation and poor visibility.
“We are talking to the relevant stakeholders, and they have shown interest in working with us, especially with the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, on issues such as navigation at night or during sundown,” he said.
The warning comes amid a rising number of reported boat accidents across the country.
Findings by Vanguard showed that at least 70 boat accidents were recorded across Nigeria in 2026, with no fewer than 80 people reported dead.
The figures are unofficial, but the newspaper’s review showed that January recorded the highest documented death toll, with 35 fatalities, followed by 14 deaths in February.
Four deaths were recorded in the last two months, while six were reported last month.
