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The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has intensified safety inspections of boats operating on Lagos inland waterways, introducing quarterly checks for smaller vessels and threatening to impound boats whose operators fail to comply with registration and inspection requirements.
Elsie Egwuatu, Head of the Marine Department, NIWA Lagos, disclosed this during a safety awareness campaign at Liverpool Jetty, Apapa, stressing that stricter enforcement was necessary to reduce accidents and improve safety across the waterways.
According to Egwuatu, human error remains a major cause of boat accidents, making continuous sensitisation of boat operators and passengers essential to preventing avoidable incidents.
She explained that NIWA had moved beyond annual inspections to quarterly checks for smaller boats because of their vulnerability to wear and tear from continuous exposure to water.
“We do quarterly inspection for boats like this kind of their boats because we notice that the wear and tear of the water has more impact on smaller boats,” she said.
Egwuatu added that the authority impounds boats belonging to operators who fail to meet registration and inspection requirements, warning that enforcement would become more aggressive.
She also defended the N95,000 fee for training required to obtain a boat captain’s licence, describing the cost as an investment in the technical knowledge needed to operate safely.
She explained that the initial training fee was a one-off payment, while subsequent licence renewals, valid every three years, cost N16,500.
The NIWA official urged boat operators to comply with the certification requirements, noting that the authority had given them sufficient time to prepare for stricter enforcement.
Egwuatu further cautioned operators against sailing at night and warned boat captains against operating vessels under the influence of alcohol.
She reiterated the importance of life jackets for passengers and operators, urging all waterways users to observe established safety rules and regulations.
On the environment, Egwuatu condemned indiscriminate waste disposal into waterways and the construction of toilets on them, describing environmental sanitation as an important component of safe and sustainable inland water transportation.
She disclosed that an initiative to provide waste bins at jetties had been launched, with plans to extend the facilities across the network to discourage the dumping of refuse into the water.
The safety awareness campaign, she said, forms part of NIWA’s continuing engagement with waterways users across Lagos, including Liverpool, Ipakodo, Marina and other jetties.
Egwuatu called on stakeholders to report unsafe practices and regulatory violations, emphasising that cooperation between the public and the authority would strengthen enforcement and make inland waterways transportation safer.
