Blue marine alliance slams NIWA over 101 waterway deaths in 2025

DDM News

(DDM) – A major maritime policy group, the Blue Marine Alliance, has raised alarm over what it described as the recurring carnage on Nigeria’s waterways.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the group is demanding urgent intervention following the death of 101 Nigerians in boat accidents between January and August 2025 alone.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday by the group’s Abuja Sector Director, Mr. Felix Audu, the Alliance condemned the persistent loss of lives and attributed it to gross incompetence and failure of leadership within the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

According to the statement, this year’s fatalities are a grim continuation of the disturbing trend seen in 2024, when nearly 600 people reportedly lost their lives in waterway-related incidents across the country.

The Alliance labeled the 2025 death toll as “unacceptable” and “evidence of leadership distraction, lack of technical capacity, or a dangerous combination of both.”

It specifically accused NIWA, under the leadership of Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, of operating with “shameful inertia” in the face of growing tragedies and preventable accidents on Nigeria’s rivers, creeks, and coastal routes.

Mr. Audu expressed frustration that NIWA’s response to recurring disasters has been limited to distributing life jackets and deploying marshals—measures he said are cosmetic and fall far short of international best practices in maritime safety.

“The idea of sharing life jackets and posting waterways marshals are not addressing the core of the problem,” the statement read.

He urged the management of NIWA to embrace a total overhaul of their safety strategy and to initiate fundamental reforms that reflect modern standards in water transportation governance.

The group argued that leadership should go beyond ceremonial acts and show results that save lives.

In a direct rebuke of NIWA’s current leadership, the Alliance called on Mr. Oyebamiji to consider a “crash course” in modern maritime management or step aside for a more competent hand.

They warned that continued failure to act decisively would not only endanger more lives but also undermine the credibility of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“The NIWA management should stop disgracing President Bola Tinubu by its failure to stop carnage on the waterways,” the group stated.

They further emphasized that Nigerians deserve safe and reliable water transport systems, especially in riverine communities where boats are the primary means of mobility.

Observers note that boat mishaps in Nigeria are often linked to overloading, lack of enforcement of safety regulations, untrained operators, poor vessel maintenance, and absence of emergency response infrastructure.

Despite repeated promises by government agencies to curb the problem, the data shows that fatalities continue to mount year after year.

Last year’s figure of nearly 600 deaths had already sparked national outrage, prompting the Senate to launch a committee investigation into NIWA’s operations—though no official conclusions have been made public.

The Blue Marine Alliance is now demanding both immediate technical reforms and political accountability.

They are also urging civil society, the media, and concerned citizens to place sustained pressure on NIWA and its leadership.

Unless urgent steps are taken, the group warns, Nigeria may face another record-breaking year of marine fatalities by the end of 2025.

For now, grieving families and vulnerable coastal dwellers are left wondering how many more lives must be lost before meaningful action is taken.

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