The Director General of Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Capt. Alex Badeh Monday has revealed that the Bureau is finalising two critical regulatory frameworks — the NSIB Casualty Investigation Regulations for the Maritime Mode of Transport and the Rail and Track Accident Investigation Regulations for the Rail sector.
He added that these instruments are tailored to Nigeria’s operating realities while drawing strength from international best practices.
The director-general in a statement issued Monday by the Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji said the Bureau was working towards creating a unified culture of safety through a standardised, independent, and forward-looking investigative approach.
To this end, Badeh urged the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to begin proactively building internal capacity for the adoption and implementation of NSIB safety recommendations.
He said: “With its expanded mandate as enshrined in the NSIB Act 2022, the Bureau is pioneering a new era of multimodal safety oversight, underpinned by globally recognised investigative practices and a clear mission: to prevent accidents by learning from them.
“As part of this strategic vision, the Bureau is finalising two critical regulatory frameworks, the NSIB Casualty Investigation Regulations for the Maritime Mode of Transport and the Rail and Track Accident Investigation Regulations for the Rail sector.
“These instruments are tailored to Nigeria’s operating realities while drawing strength from international best practices.
“The maritime regulations are aligned with the IMO Casualty Investigation Code, establishing a standardised process for investigating accidents on inland waterways, ports, and Nigerian-flagged vessels.
“The rail investigation regulations, likewise, are being developed with due consideration for the unique operational structure and geographic scope of the Nigerian railway system, while referencing international norms in rail safety investigation.”
Badeh stressed that these developments built upon the NSIB’s successful alignment with ICAO Annex 13 for air accident investigation — a framework that has guided aviation safety improvement worldwide and continues to inform Nigeria’s aviation sector reforms.
He explained that by adopting this harmonised, mode-agnostic approach, the Bureau aims to create a unified culture of safety across the nation’s transport infrastructure.