NSIB, Benue Partner To Boost Transport Safety

The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and the Benue State Government have taken steps to strengthen their partnership on transportation safety, institutional capacity building and technical cooperation as part of efforts to develop the state’s maritime and blue economy sector.

The renewed collaboration was the focus of a high-level meeting held at the NSIB headquarters in Abuja, where the director general and chief executive officer of the Bureau, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., received the Benue State Commissioner for Maritime and Blue Economy, Hon. Denis Ter Iyaghigba, and his delegation.

The delegation included Mr. Charles Terfa Ikyaave, director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Harris Dera, Special Adviser (Technical) to the Commissioner, and Mr. Lubem Gena, Head of Media, Publicity and Orientation in the Commissioner’s Office.

Speaking during meeting, Captain Badeh said the relationship between the Bureau and the Benue State Government had progressed beyond accident response to a more strategic partnership focused on preventing future tragedies.

“Our recent visit to Benue was born out of tragedy, but it also opened the door to meaningful engagement with the state government. 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.

He stressed that transportation safety requires sustained collaboration among governments, regulators and technical agencies.

According to him, the NSIB’s mandate goes beyond investigating accidents, noting that the Bureau is equally committed to preventing future occurrences through knowledge sharing, institutional capacity building and the promotion of global safety standards.

The meeting followed the NSIB’s recent intervention in Benue after a boat accident on the River Benue claimed 11 lives.

During the visit to Makurdi, Captain Badeh led a high-level delegation that conducted an on-the-spot safety assessment, met with Governor Hyacinth Alia, community leaders and boat operators, and pledged the Bureau’s support in improving safety on the state’s inland waterways.

Governor Alia had also called for a stronger and sustained NSIB presence in the state to support safety advocacy and risk reduction initiatives.