The Special Adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Bolaji Akinola, has disclosed that a bill seeking to establish a Nigerian Coast Guard is currently before the National Assembly as part of efforts to strengthen safety and security across the country’s waterways.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, he said, ‘There is a bill before the National Assembly seeking the creation of a Nigerian Coast Guard. This bill is designed to provide a clear legal framework, define the mandate, avoid overlap with existing security agencies, and ensure sustainable funding and accountability for the proposed coast guard’.
He explained that ‘Once established, the coast guard will play a critical role in enhancing safety and security on the waterways. Its benefits include improved enforcement of safety regulations, coordinated search and rescue operations, protection of inland and coastal waters, prevention of illegal activities, and rapid emergency response. Overall, a Coast Guard would significantly strengthen enforcement capacity and improve confidence in water transportation across the country’.
The move comes amid renewed enforcement of safety regulations on the nation’s waterways, particularly the restriction on night travel.
Akinola said, ‘There is a restriction on night journeys on the nation’s waterways. This restriction is in place due to serious safety concerns, including poor visibility, limited navigational aids, and the increased risk of accidents after dark. The regulation was introduced to prevent avoidable loss of lives and property’.
According to him, ‘To ensure compliance, the Police and other relevant enforcement agencies have been arresting and prosecuting violators found operating outside approved hours. Enforcement, however, is a shared responsibility that also requires the cooperation of operators and passengers’.
He added that ‘The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, through its agency, the National Inland Waterways Authority, remains firmly committed to maintaining a safe, efficient, and properly regulated water transport system across the country. Continuous engagement with stakeholders, monitoring, and enforcement actions are ongoing to strengthen compliance’.
He further urged operators and passengers to comply strictly with safety measures, stating, ‘Boat operators and waterway users are therefore urged to take collective responsibility for safety by ensuring that all journeys are completed before sunset, strictly adhering to approved operating times, enforcing the use of life jackets for all passengers, and observing all prescribed safety protocols on the waterways’.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has called on state governments to prohibit the use of wooden boats and adopt safer alternatives.
He called on state governments to ban the use of wooden boats within their respective states and to invest in modern fibre boats as safer alternatives, stressing that wooden boats are inherently dangerous due to their structural weakness, susceptibility to water damage, poor stability, and limited buoyancy, all of which significantly increase the risk of accidents.
In contrast, fibre boats are more durable, stable, and safer, offering better buoyancy, resistance to water absorption, and improved performance in challenging conditions, according to the minister.
The renewed push for stronger regulation follows a series of boat mishaps reported across states such as Niger, Kwara, Kebbi, Lagos, and Anambra in recent years.
Published reports have linked many of the accidents to overloading, night travel, non-use of life jackets, poor maintenance of vessels, and weak enforcement of safety guidelines. In several of the incidents, dozens of passengers, including women and children, were reported dead or missing after wooden boats capsized while transporting commuters and traders.
Investigations and stakeholder reactions in previous reports have repeatedly highlighted the absence of coordinated maritime law enforcement on inland waterways, inadequate search and rescue capacity, and the proliferation of substandard wooden boats as contributing factors.
These recurring tragedies have intensified calls from maritime experts, lawmakers, and safety advocates for stricter enforcement, better equipment, compulsory use of life jackets, and the establishment of a dedicated Coast Guard to centralise waterway security and emergency response.
The ministry said the proposed coast guard, alongside stricter enforcement and improved vessel standards, would significantly enhance safety and restore public confidence in water transportation nationwide.
