{
  "id": 995327,
  "title": "Boat mishaps: NEMA blames ageing wood, overloading",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/boat-mishaps-nema-blames-ageing-wood-overloading",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-15T08:36:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/08/15/boat-mishaps-nema-blames-ageing-wood-overloading/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has linked ageing wooden boats, overloading and submerged trees to frequent boat accidents and capsizing incidents on Nigerian waterways. Concerns have risen regarding the increasing number of boat mishaps across the nation's waterways. Dr Ishaya Isah Chonoko, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction at NEMA, shared these findings during an interview with DCL. He elaborated that many locally used wooden boats continue to be used for extended periods despite being exposed to water and sunlight. Over time, Chonoko explained, prolonged exposure to these elements causes wooden boats to deteriorate and weaken, raising the risk of breaking apart and capsizing while on the water. \"In most cases, the local boats we use are made or constructed with wood and stay for a very long time plying the waterways. Wood exposed to water and sun eventually gets rotten,\" Chonoko stated. The NEMA director further revealed that rescue assessments carried out at various boat accident scenes indicated that some incidents occurred as a result of old boats breaking apart while carrying passengers. \"Most of the rescue assessments we have carried out in the past were as a result of using boats that are aged. In most cases, while on the water, the boat breaks and capsizes,\" he added. Overloading emerged as another significant cause of boat accidents, according to Chonoko. Some boat operators overload their vessels with passengers and goods in an effort to maximise revenue. \"Sometimes these boats, despite their age, the users or boat owners always want to maximise what they get in terms of revenue. So they overload the boat with both goods and passengers,\" he warned. Such excessive loading can destabilise boats and increase the risk of capsizing. Lastly, Chonoko pointed to submerged trees and other obstructions in waterways as a hazard boat operators face. He noted that some waterways have trees submerged due to rising water levels, which can be difficult for boat operators to spot. \"In some places, we have trees that the water has encroached on and are in the waterways. Sometimes these boat drivers do not see them. When they hit those trees, the boats can break and capsize,\" Chonoko elaborated. These factors, he insisted, are among the major causes identified by emergency responders when assessing boat accident scenes.",
  "summary": "The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has identified ageing wooden boats, overloading and submerged trees as major factors responsible for frequent boat accidents and capsizing incidents on Nigerian waterways. There have been growing concerns over the frequent occurrence of boat mishaps across Nigerian waterways. The Director of Disaster Risk Reduction at NEMA, Dr Ishaya Isah […] Boat…",
  "key_points": [
    "Aging wooden boats contribute to frequent accidents on Nigerian waterways.",
    "Overloading boats for higher revenue increases capsizing risk.",
    "Submerged trees pose hidden hazards to boat operators."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}