By: Odieh Ramon, Yenagoa.
The Provisional Committee of the Proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) is grieving with the families of victims of the boat accident in Gorau, Goronyo LGA, Sokoto State on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
According to the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), over 50 people, mostly children aged 10-15, lost their lives when an overloaded boat capsized while conveying farmers to rice fields. About 40 bodies have so far been recovered, and search operations continue.
In a statement signed by Director of Communication & Public Affairs, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, on behalf of Chief Executive & Accounting Officer, Captain Noah Ichaba and made available to journalists on Sunday in Abuja, the PC-NCG described the incident as “a national emergency that can no longer be ignored.”
“For years, the proposal for a Nigerian Coast Guard has returned to national discourse because the underlying questions of maritime security, safety, enforcement, and economic protection have not disappeared,” the statement read.
“A problem does not cease to exist because somebody objects to the solution. Resistance alone is not an answer.”
The PC-NCG noted that Nigeria’s 10,000km of inland waterways and 853km coastline sustain millions through fishing, farming, trade, and transport. Yet the country has no dedicated agency with the mandate, training, and equipment to enforce safety, regulate traffic, and conduct rapid search and rescue.
The Nigerian Coast Guard Bill, currently awaiting Third Reading in the Nigerian Senate, seeks to close this gap by establishing a professional service to enforce maritime safety by checking vessel standards, passenger limits, life jackets, and waterway patrols with a view to leading search & rescue operations: Rapid response on inland waterways and coastal areas. Ensure regulatory coordination in collaboration with NIWA, NIMASA, NEMA, and the Nigerian Navy to prevent disasters.
The PC-NCG calls on the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senators, and the National Assembly to: Expedite the Third Reading and Passage of the Nigerian Coast Guard Bill immediately
Treat the Bill as a matter of National Security, Public Safety, and Human Rights.
Approve commensurate resources for immediate operationalization upon Presidential Assent.
“The children of Gorau did not have to die. Policy delay is costing lives,” Captain Ichaba stated. “Let the memory of the over 40 children lost in Sokoto be the catalyst for decisive action.”
The Committee further urged the Senate to “look beyond the history of opposition and examine the substance.”
“If the evidence shows Nigeria does not need a Coast Guard, let the evidence prevail. If the evidence shows a genuine institutional need, and it does, then resistance must not become a substitute for national policy.”
“No Blue Economy Without Blue Security and Blue Justice.
Secure the Blue Economy: Protect lives, livelihoods, and investments that depend on safe waters”, the statement concluded.
