By Udekwe Okue-Agbomma
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has made wearing of life-jackets compulsory, ordering a strict, nationwide enforcement of a “No life-jacket, No boarding” policy for commercial passenger boats. It also banned loading at all unauthorised jetties throughout Nigeria.
The directive, announced at a press briefing in Abuja by NIWA Managing Director Bola Oyebamiji, forms part of a package of measures aimed at reversing a recent surge in deadly boat mishaps.
Oyebamiji told reporters that the Authority would only permit commercial passenger boats to load at recognised and registered jetties and that all operators must provide life-jackets and enforce their use at all times. He said each passenger boat must also display its name and load line and warned that unlicensed boats and operators would be removed from the nation’s waterways.
The directive follows a spate of high-fatality incidents on inland waters, including a capsizing in Niger State in early September that left scores dead and many missing after an overloaded wooden boat struck a submerged stump. International and local agencies have reported casualty figures ranging from dozens to more than 50 in that single accident, underscoring long-standing safety gaps on Nigeria’s waterways.
NIWA said its renewed safety push has included outreach and equipment distribution this year: the Authority and federal partners have carried out sensitisation visits to hundreds of communities and distributed tens of thousands of life-jackets as part of public-safety campaigns. NIWA officials told journalists they reached more than 300 communities in 2025 and have distributed thousands of life-jackets across riverine states.
To strengthen on-the-water enforcement, NIWA said it has expanded its water marshal complement and operational assets, adding patrol and rescue boats and reactivating search-and-rescue stations to reduce emergency response time. The Managing Director also renewed the Authority’s call for the speedy passage of a Coastal Guard bill in the National Assembly to give a dedicated security arm statutory powers to police inland waterways.
The Federal Government has already undertaken targeted distributions of life-saving equipment in some states this year—efforts NIWA cited as complementary to enforcement. Officials say the immediate aim is to institutionalise life-jacket use so that passengers cannot board commercial boats without wearing approved flotation devices.
Niwa’s measures — banning unauthorised loading points, removing unlicensed operators, increasing patrols and making life-jackets mandatory — represent the strongest, nationwide enforcement push yet by the federal waterways regulator. Implementation will depend on local collaboration with state governments, community leaders and existing security agencies, the Authority said, while acknowledging the logistical challenge of policing remote riverine landing points.
Community leaders and operators in riverine areas have in the past resisted strict controls because informal landing points and unregulated operators supply essential transport. NIWA said its outreach would include further community sensitisation and training for boat operators to reduce resistance and improve compliance.
NIWA indicated its ban and the “No life-jacket, No boarding” rule are effective immediately. Operators found flouting the new measures, risk vessel impoundment, and removal from the prosecution where appropriate. The Authority urged passengers to insist on life-jackets and to avoid boarding boats at unregistered jetties.
