As multimodal safety investigations expand across Nigeria, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is seeking access to its 3% share of cabotage revenue from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency while building specialist capacity for maritime and rail cases.
Director-General Captain Alex Badeh Jr. said the funding gap has forced the bureau to rely on aviation-sector resources for maritime and other multimodal safety investigations. He said the situation is placing additional pressure on an already constrained annual budget.
The funding challenge has practical consequences. Badeh said the NSIB currently lacks a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which is critical for investigating accidents involving sunken vessels.
An ROV is an underwater robot operated remotely from the surface. It can help investigators locate wreckage, recover evidence and potentially assist with body recovery.
Badeh said the equipment would be particularly valuable on Nigeria’s inland waterways. He explained that many waterways are highly brackish, making underwater visibility extremely poor.
“An ROV would greatly help us,” Badeh said, adding that the equipment would strengthen the bureau’s ability to investigate maritime accidents and incidents.
The NSIB is continuing discussions with the NIMASA and the Federal Government over the funding issue. Badeh said NIMASA maintains that its enabling legislation does not oblige it to release the disputed funds.
The NSIB chief said the bureau is nevertheless working with relevant authorities to find a workable solution. Meanwhile, the bureau is expanding its specialist workforce to match its wider responsibilities.
Multimodal Safety Investigations Gain Specialist Capacity
Badeh said the NSIB now has about six maritime accident investigators. Their recruitment and training represent a significant shift from an earlier period when aviation investigators sometimes handled maritime cases.
He said investigators across transport sectors share core methods, including interviews, evidence gathering and analysis. However, each sector has technical differences that require specialist knowledge.
The bureau has therefore developed maritime expertise while using cross-training to strengthen its wider investigative capacity. Maritime investigators recruited within the past year have received additional aviation investigation training.
In addition, the NSIB is bringing foreign resource persons to Nigeria for specialist training. Badeh said this allows the bureau to train more personnel locally instead of depending entirely on overseas programmes.
The strategy supports the bureau’s growing role in multimodal safety investigations across aviation, maritime and rail transport. The NSIB officially identifies aviation, maritime and railway safety as core areas of its transport investigation mandate.
The developing maritime capability is already being deployed to major incidents. Badeh cited the investigation into the collision involving Maersk and Lady Martina in Lagos as an example of the bureau’s growing expertise.
He also said improved access to maritime investigation equipment and software has helped accelerate cases. Previously, investigators lacked some tools required for maritime data extraction and analysis.
The bureau has now made progress, with five maritime investigation reports reaching the stakeholder review stage, according to Badeh.
The NSIB is also building capacity for railway investigations. Badeh said the bureau is working with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and rail consultants to bridge technical gaps.
That development reflects the bureau’s transformation from an agency primarily associated with aviation into a broader multimodal safety investigations authority. The NSIB itself describes its mandate as covering accidents and serious incidents across aviation, maritime and railway transport.
Badeh said the objective is to ensure specialists lead investigations in their respective fields. Other investigators can then provide cross-disciplinary support when required.
The expansion is also intended to improve investigation timelines. Badeh said he would prefer reports completed within one year rather than approaching two years.
He acknowledged that complex evidence recovery and technical analysis can extend investigations. However, he expects specialist manpower and improved equipment to reduce delays.
The funding question therefore takes on greater importance as the NSIB expands its responsibilities. Its maritime investigators require specialist equipment, while rail investigations also demand technical expertise and resources.
The ROV requirement provides a clear example of the challenge. Without suitable underwater technology, critical evidence from a submerged accident may remain difficult to locate or recover.
At the same time, the growth of the maritime team and rail capability shows that the NSIB is building the human resources needed for its multimodal safety investigations.
Badeh’s position is that responsibility must be matched with resources. As multimodal safety investigations become a larger part of the bureau’s work, timely funding will determine how effectively it can equip specialists and investigate accidents across Nigeria’s transport network.
