The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing transportation safety across all modes in Nigeria, including air, marine, rail, and other forms of land transport.
With its expanded mandate, the Bureau is pioneering a new era of multimodal safety oversight, underpinned by globally recognised investigative practices.
The NSIB 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 NSIB’s approach builds upon its 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. By adopting a harmonised, mode-agnostic approach, the Bureau aims to create a unified culture of safety across Nigeria’s transport infrastructure.
The development of these regulations has been rooted in inclusive consultation, incorporating field visits to jetties, inland waterways, ports, and rail infrastructure across Nigeria. This practical engagement ensures the regulations are adaptable, devoid of theoretical ambiguities, and fully responsive to Nigeria’s transport landscape.
The NSIB is urging stakeholders, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), to proactively build internal capacity for the adoption and implementation of Sib safety recommendations.
The Director General/CEO of NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh Jnr, emphasised that safety recommendations are not mere reports but calls to action, and their effectiveness is measured by how well they are implemented.
The NSIB believes that the lessons learned from marine, rail, and air accidents must not be siloed but rather used to form a national benchmark for proactive safety strategies.
As the Bureau finalises its regulations and presents them to stakeholders, it will continue to sensitise agencies and the public about their roles in transforming Nigeria’s transport safety landscape.