About 92 passengers reportedly lost their lives in boat accidents across Nigeria between January and August 2025, despite the Federal Government’s efforts to enhance safety on the nation’s waterways. The accidents occurred in several states, including Rivers, Niger, Sokoto, Kwara, and Zamfara.
This came as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, appealed to states to phase out wooden boats, stressing in a statement on Sunday that incidents of boat mishaps had persisted largely due to the widespread use of these wooden boats.
An analysis by The PUNCH from various media reports and statements from government agencies indicated that in January, a boat capsized near Bonny Island, resulting in three deaths (two adults and a toddler), while there were 19 survivors.
On May 15, on the Niger River border, Gbajibo-Mudi Area of Kwara State, a boat carrying passengers returning from the market capsized during a storm, and 27 passengers were confirmed dead. Also in July, at Shiroro Area in Niger State, a market-bound passenger boat capsized near Gumu village, with at least 13 people feared dead.
On August 17 in Sokoto, Goronyo market, a boat carrying over 50 passengers capsized. Two days later, it was reported that 25 passengers were still missing while 25 had been rescued. Also on August 22, in the Faji community, Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State, a canoe with 30 passengers capsized, as six persons were confirmed dead, while three were missing.
Also on August 30, 13 people died and more than 20 were declared missing after a boat carrying fleeing villagers capsized in a river in Zamfara State. However, The Nation Newspapers reported on Monday that the number of people who died at the Zamfara boat accident was 16.
Over the weekend, the National Inland Waterways Authority confirmed another fatal boat mishap at the Jaranja River in the Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State. NIWA Area Manager in Sokoto, Mr Bala Bello, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Sokoto that two persons died, while nine survivors were rescued.
Bello, who said the incident occurred in the afternoon, attributed it to negligence, canoe overloading, and safety rules violations.
In May, The PUNCH reported that Oyetola flagged off the distribution of 42,000 life jackets to waterway users across 12 selected riverine states. Announcing this in a statement, the ministry explained that the landmark move was aimed at enhancing safety on Nigeria’s inland waterways.
It added that the initiative, which kicked off in Minna, Niger State, intends to curb the alarming rate of boat mishaps and fatalities in the country. Oyetola stressed that each of the beneficiary states would receive 3,500 life jackets in the first phase of the strategic safety intervention by the ministry.
The minister, while commiserating with victims of the recent boat incident in the Jaranja River, appealed to states to phase out wooden boats. The minister, in a statement on Sunday through his media aide, Dr Bolaji Akinola, described the tragedy as deeply painful, even as he extended heartfelt condolences on behalf of the Federal Government to all those affected.
The Osun State former governor reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to prioritising waterways safety, while appealing to state governments to urgently complement these efforts by investing in modern, non-wooden boats for commercial operations in their states.
The minister noted that, “despite the ministry’s recent interventions, including the nationwide distribution of 3,500 life jackets to each riverine state, incidents of boat mishaps have persisted largely due to the widespread use of wooden boats. The structural weaknesses of wooden boats make them unsafe for modern commercial operations.”
He further explained that wooden boats cannot withstand the scale of haulage they are now subjected to, especially under conditions of overloading, thereby making them even more prone to accidents. “The time has come for a decisive break from outdated practices. Wooden boats have served their time, but they cannot be the future of water transport in Nigeria. The tragic mishaps we continue to witness are a direct consequence of the continued reliance on unsafe vessels. We must now chart a safer course for our people,” Oyetola declared.
He highlighted that fibre and aluminium boats, being sturdier, safer, and more durable, represent the global standard for inland and coastal waterway transport. Oyetola called on state governments, particularly those with large riverine populations, to urgently invest in these modern boats, describing such investments as both life-saving and economically strategic.
“Our ministry has mandated the compulsory use of life jackets, and we have supplied them in thousands to riverine states. But life jackets alone cannot guarantee safety without safe boats. I therefore appeal to our state governments to complement the Federal Government’s efforts by deliberately investing in fibre and aluminium boats. This is the seed we must sow today to secure a safer, more prosperous tomorrow,” the minister said.
The Chairman of the United Waterways Passengers Association, Mr Gbenga Oluwadiya, urged the government to enforce the use of life jackets. “The government has tried in the area of giving out life jackets and sensitising people on the wearing. But I think the government needs to do more on the enforcement of the use of life jackets,” he stated.
Earlier, the President of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria, Mr Olubunmi Olumekun, spoke on the need to differentiate passenger boats from cargo boats to avoid overloading.
“Some boat operators use passenger boats to carry goods. They load people and also have a full load of goods. It is not possible; you have to separate them, let the passenger boat be for passengers, and the one for goods be for goods. You must separate them.
“You must have someone to control them. So take your passenger boat and go to where you want to go, and your goods will get to you; that is what should be happening with boats, just like what we see in the aviation sector,” Olumekun said.
