Oyetola flags off 3,500 life jacket distribution in Lagos, tasks boat operators on safety

• Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji (left), Director, Maritime Services, and representative of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Mercy Ilori, Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, and the Lagos Area Manager, NIWA, Sarat Braimah, during the ministry’s flag-off of the 3,500 life-jackets presentation to Lagos State…on Wednesday

In continuation of the federal government’s nationwide water safety campaign on Nigeria’s inland waterways, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has launched the distribution of 3,500 life jackets in Lagos State.

Held on Wednesday during a Marine Safety Sensitisation and Life Jackets Distribution Exercise, the event underscores the ministry’s commitment to a safety-first culture, particularly in riverine communities where water transport is a daily mode of movement.

Oyetola, who was represented by the ministry’s Director of Maritime Services, Dr. Mercy Ilori, disclosed that the initiative, which has already been carried out in Niger, Bayelsa, Anambr and Akwa Ibom states, would extend to other coastal states over the coming months, with a target of reaching 12 states within the shortest possible time.

The minister outlined three core pillars of the campaign to include enforcement of the Inland Waterways Transportation Regulations 2023, ongoing public sensitisation on safety, and provision of life-saving equipment, including life jackets.

He further commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for transforming water transportation in Lagos, and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) for its regulatory oversight and public awareness drives.

Calling for grassroots participation, the minister urged boat operators, community leaders and transport unions to adopt the life-saving slogan: “No life jacket, no entry.” He stressed that life jackets are “shields, not inconveniences,” even as he called on all stakeholders to make water safety a shared responsibility.

On his part, the Lagos Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, described the initiative as a timely intervention. He noted that with over 85 per cent of daily commutes in Lagos currently done via road, it is important to expand safe and reliable water transport to meet the needs of the state’s growing population.

Thanking the ministry and NIWA for their support and partnership, he stated that the “initiative is not just about safety gear but building a safety culture.”

Similarly, NIWA Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, emphasised that in the water transport sector, safety is the real measure of success, adding that “while profitability is key in finance, safety is the profit here.”

He reiterated NIWA’s determination to achieve zero fatalities on Nigeria’s waterways. Confirming that six of the 12 targeted states have already benefitted from the campaign, he assured of reaching the rest in the next one to two years.

Oyebamiji further highlighted the strict safety enforcement in Nigeria with the charge, “if you don’t wear a life jacket, you don’t get into the boat.”

Earlier, the General Manager of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Damilola Emmanuel, commended the federal government’s leadership on safety. According to him, “this is more than just a distribution, it is a significant step toward sustainable water transport. Safety is what keeps our waterways functional and reliable.”