Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Capt Alex Badeh, has said the full implementation of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, Establishment Act 2022 will reduce serious incidents, accidents and improve safety in all modes of transportation in Nigeria.
Badeh also insisted that the agency’s extension to the maritime sector would not create overlaps with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
The DG said this in a virtual session held with newsmen to unveil the safety regulations for maritime, rail and air transportation.
According to him, these regulations were not only the bedrock to ensure security across these sectors, but they were important in shaping the future of safety across Nigeria.
Addressing newsmen, Badeh said although there was communication gap between the NSIB and NIMASA, both agencies were working to change the situation.
He said: The maritime safety investigation regulations seek to streamline regulations into maritime incidents and accidents. It helps us promote transparency and accountability and improve our safety protocols in our waterways and ports in Nigeria.
It aligns with international standards from the International Maritime Organisation, IMO. It aims to standardise our marine safety investigations.
On overlapping functions with NIMASA, he said: “IMO recognises NIMASA as the sole body because there was a vacuum. There was no NSIB when it happened. IMO prefers to have an independent accident investigation bureau, but we had NIMASA, who are regulators.
Best practices all around the world usually have an independent investigation body outside the regulator. NIMASA, which is a regulator just like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, was recognised as the investigator by IMO because it was the only one doing that, but that changed with the passing of our 2022 Act that gave us the power to investigate other modes of transportation.
Now, we are recognised by the IMO, and once this is finalised as well, there will be more documentation and information to reflect the status of NSIB as the sole accident investigating body for maritime accidents in Nigeria.