The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has unveiled three draft regulations aimed at establishing an integrated safety framework for Nigeria’s rail, maritime, and aviation sectors.
The move is aimed at harmonising safety standards and enhancing collaborative investigation protocols across all modes of transportation.
The proposed regulations were presented during the Multimodal Transportation Stakeholders’ Workshop held in Abuja.
The event, themed “Strengthening Transport Safety Standards Through Collaboration,” gathered industry leaders, policymakers, safety experts, and government officials from the aviation, marine, rail, and road sectors to chart the way forward for Nigeria’s transportation safety framework
In his opening remarks, the Director General of NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr, said the workshop outlines robust procedures for evidence-based investigations, ensuring that every incident is thoroughly analysed to produce actionable safety recommendations.
The new regulations unveiled during the workshop include:
The Railway Investigation of Accidents and Incidents Regulation Draft, which sets out investigative procedures for rail accidents;
The Maritime Safety Investigation Regulations Draft, designed to enhance transparency and safety in maritime operations;
A revised Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations Draft, aimed at strengthening oversight through global best practices and new technologies
Global standard
Captain Badeh explained that the drafts were the result of months of dedicated work, informed by accident data and global standards.
“Our primary objective is to foster open dialogue, exchange insights, and collectively refine the frameworks that safeguard lives and infrastructure in aviation, maritime, and railway sectors,” he added, inviting stakeholders to provide valuable input to ensure the regulations are both effective and practical.
The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, also addressed the forum, highlighting the economic and cultural relevance of Nigeria’s waterways.
He said that NIWA recorded 6.82 million passengers and 3.6 million metric tons of cargo across inland waterways in the first half of 2025 alone.
The multimodal transportation stakeholders workshop is expected to strengthen safety standards across air, rail, road, and maritime sectors.
Lateefah Ibrahim