President Bola Tinubu has expressed condolences to the government and people of Sokoto State following a boat accident in Gorau, Goronyo Local Government Area, which claimed more than 50 lives. He also directed relevant federal agencies to collaborate with the Sokoto State Government to prevent a recurrence and ensure strict enforcement of safety standards on Nigeria's waterways.
Mr Tinubu's condolence message and directive were contained in a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The president said, “The news of this boat mishap deeply saddens me. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families during this difficult time.”
He prayed for the deceased and extended his condolences to their families as well as the government and people of Sokoto State. Mr Tinubu also commended emergency responders and local authorities involved in the search and recovery operation.
Directive to NIWA and NEMA
Mr Tinubu directed the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to work closely with the Sokoto State Government “to prevent a recurrence and to ensure safety standards on waterways are strictly enforced.” The president further assured the people of Sokoto State of the federal government’s support and prayed for the recovery of those injured in the accident.
As PREMIUM TIMES reported, more than 50 bodies had been recovered from the Gorau boat accident as search operations continued, while emergency agencies worked to reconcile differing figures on the number of passengers and victims.
The boat was travelling from Gorau towards Birjingo when it capsized. Many of those aboard were farmers and farm workers heading to rice farms across the waterway; children were also among the passengers.
Recovery and Passenger Figures
The Sokoto State Police Command initially told PREMIUM TIMES that 77 passengers were aboard. Its spokesperson, Ahmad Rufai, said at the time that 46 bodies had been recovered, seven passengers rescued alive and 24 remained missing.
The accident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of water transportation in the region, particularly for farming communities that rely on boats to access their rice farms.
Previous Safety Measures and Gaps
Mr Tinubu’s directive comes about a year after another deadly boat accident in the same local government area prompted the Sokoto State Government to announce measures aimed at improving water-transport safety. Following the August 2025 accident around Kojiyo village, the Sokoto State Government said it had procured 20 motorised boats and life jackets for riverine communities, with two of the boats allocated to Goronyo LGA. The government subsequently announced the distribution of 20 motorised boats and 2,000 life jackets in September 2025.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu said the intervention was intended to reduce boat accidents and warned operators against overloading their vessels. Following the latest accident, however, Nasiru Adamu, the lawmaker representing Goronyo Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, told Daily Trust that Gorau community had not received the engine-powered boats and life jackets distributed by the state government.
It remains unclear where the two motorised boats earlier said to have been allocated to Goronyo LGA were deployed and whether any of the life jackets supplied under the programme were made available at the Gorau crossing point.
Push for Safer Waterways
Meanwhile, NIWA Governing Board Chairman Mukhtar Shehu Shagari has said the authority is working towards phasing out wooden boats from Nigeria’s inland waterways as part of measures to improve navigation safety. Mr Shagari also urged state governments to strengthen cooperation with NIWA on enforcement and called on boat operators and riverine communities to comply with safety regulations.
The federal government's directive to NIWA and NEMA underscores a renewed commitment to waterway safety, though the gap between announced measures and on-the-ground implementation remains a critical challenge for riverine communities in Sokoto State.
