The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Benue State Government have taken steps to deepen their relationship with a new round of discussions aimed at strengthening transportation safety, institutional capacity and technical cooperation in support of the state’s maritime and blue economy agenda.
The latest engagement was coming weeks after the Director General of NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh led a high level delegation to Makurdi following the boat accident on the River Benue that claimed 11 lives.
During that visit, the NSIB team carried out an on the spot safety assessment, met with Governor Hyacinth Alia at the Government House, engaged community leaders and boat operators, and reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to working with the state to improve safety on its inland waterways.
Alia had, in turn, called for a stronger and more sustained NSIB presence in Benue to support safety advocacy and risk reduction initiatives.
Building on that engagement, Badeh received the Benue State Commissioner for Maritime and Blue Economy, Hon. Denis Ter Iyaghigba, and members of his delegation at the Bureau’s headquarters in Abuja.
The visit, NSIB said, focused on developing a framework for collaboration in transportation safety, accident investigation, institutional development, knowledge exchange and capacity building, areas both parties identified as critical to the safe development of Benue State’s maritime and blue economy sector.
Speaking during the meeting, Badeh said the discussions reflected a shared commitment to translating earlier engagements into structured cooperation.
Badeh, in a statement on Friday by the Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs. Funke Adebayo-Arowojobe,m said the recent visit to Benue was born out of tragedy, but it also opened the door to meaningful engagement with the state government.
He noted: “Today’s meeting demonstrates that our relationship is evolving beyond accident response into a strategic partnership built on prevention, technical cooperation and institutional capacity development.”
He said transportation safety remains a shared responsibility requiring sustained collaboration among governments, regulators and technical agencies.
Badeh added: “The NSIB’s mandate extends beyond investigating accidents. We are equally committed to preventing future occurrences by sharing knowledge, building institutional capacity and promoting global safety standards. We welcome every opportunity to work with states that are committed to developing safer transportation systems.”
Responding, the Commissioner for Maritime and Blue Economy, Hon. Denis Iyaghigba said the Abuja meeting marked the beginning of a long term relationship that would strengthen Benue’s capacity to develop its inland water transport and blue economy sectors safely..
” We are here to build a partnership that will equip our institutions with the technical knowledge, safety culture and operational capacity required to unlock the enormous potential of Benue’s waterways while protecting lives,” he said