The tree stump had been sitting on the riverbed for who knows how long, invisible beneath the glistening waters of the Niger River.

A thunderous crack suddenly shattered the calm, hurling scores of screaming passengers overboard from the wooden vessel. The boat had inevitably struck the submerged obstacle.

As cries for help rang out, rescuers from nearby villages dived in to save whoever they could grab in the scramble to stay afloat against the treacherous current. For dozens, help arrived too late.

Local authorities said the boat, ferrying over 100 people to a condolence event, went down near the Gausawa community at Borgu in Nigeria's north-central Niger State.

At least 60 lives were lost in the September 2 tragedy, which played out in circumstances that have become eerily familiar in the country.

Flagrant violations

Nigeria's vast network of inland waterways – an 8,600-kilometre span constituting Africa's third-longest system after Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo – is as much an economic asset as it is a natural wonder.

These channels, stretching from the Niger and Benue rivers to coastal routes from Badagry to Calabar, connect rural communities and serve as transportation lifelines for agricultural trade.

What goes under the radar until tragedy strikes, like it did at Gausawa this week, is the rampant flouting of safety norms by boat operators across the waterways network.

A study published in the International Journal of Scientific Research states that between 2010 and late 2021, a total of 2,346 lives were lost in 266 boat accidents.

The deadliest year on record was 2021. Over 67% of these are categorised as preventable accidents attributed to wilful or inefficiency-induced human oversight – overloading, poor maintenance and flagrant disregard for safety regulations.

Data available with Nigeria's Inland Waterways Authority corroborates the thesis.

"Laws governing waterways exist, but unfortunately, these are not obeyed," Ibrahim Hussaini, director of information and special duties at the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, tells TRT Afrika.

Heavy traffic along the coastal waterways, including vessels transporting tonnes of agricultural products, accentuates the risk of collisions between boats or with hidden obstacles.

In 2018, eleven passengers died in Lagos when a passenger boat slammed into another wooden vessel near the Apapa waterfront.

Abbas Garba Idriss, president of the Risk Managers' Society of Nigeria, recommends special training for captains of the vessels that ply on routes chock-a-block with traffic. He also advocates putting stringent norms in place to certify crew.

"They should be able to read instruments that alert them about approaching vessels, obstacles and even inclement weather," Idriss tells TRT Afrika.

Hazard-filled routes

Beyond human error, Nigeria's waterways have become increasingly perilous due to neglect. Safety expert Moses Ochonogor believes proper maintenance of high-traffic routes could prevent many accidents.

"The route in Niger State where an accident occurred last Tuesday should have been checked regularly. Had there been proper monitoring, warnings about submerged tree stumps would have been issued, and alerts sent to boat operators," he says.

Critical gaps in the country's rescue infrastructure add to the possibility of casualties every time something untoward occurs.

"No vessel should leave a jetty without basic rescue support. That should be the minimum standard. Having trained responders on board could mean the difference between life and death," Idriss explains.

The human toll mounts with each rainy season's fresh headlines of capsized boats and families lost to the waters.

Last December, 54 people drowned in the Niger River after yet another overloaded boat carrying more than 200 passengers went down.

Accountability chain

Thankfully, authorities have begun acknowledging the safety crisis that imperils Nigeria's waterways.

Hussaini says his agency has stepped up its water safety campaign in rural areas while pushing for stricter penalties against reckless boat operators.

"We want to make sure that breaking the rules becomes too costly to be an option," he tells TRT Afrika.

With Nigeria's dependence on its waterways growing, experts recommend structured investment in monitoring, enforcement and awareness to mitigate the risks.

"Water transport is supposed to be an asset for Nigeria," says Idriss. "But until safety is prioritised, we will have recurring tragedies."