The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has attributed the sweeping reforms initiated by its immediate past Managing Director, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, to the agency’s emergence as Maritime Agency of the Year 2025, conferred by New Telegraph Newspaper.
BUSINESSINSIDERNG reports that under Oyebamiji’s leadership, which began in 2023, NIWA recorded a 70 per cent reduction in boat mishaps nationwide, following a series of strategic safety and regulatory reforms introduced upon his assumption of office.
In a press statement signed by the Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Suleiman Makama, the award was received on behalf of the Authority by the Acting Managing Director, Alhaji Umar Girei. He dedicated the honour to the hardworking staff of NIWA and to Oyebamiji for laying a solid foundation of reforms.
According to Makama, the Acting Managing Director described the award as a testament to the Authority’s unwavering dedication to improving maritime safety in Nigeria. He added that the recognition would further motivate staff to sustain and surpass current achievements.
He noted that the award acknowledged NIWA’s sustained efforts to enhance safety and security on Nigeria’s inland waterways, particularly through the implementation of the Inland Waterways Transportation Code.
Makama further disclosed that the media organisation also recognised the Authority’s deployment of water marshals to enforce safety regulations, among other milestones recorded in 2025.