The people of Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi state now mourning scores of relatives lost in last week’s boat accident on the River Niger have made a passionate appeal to President Bola Tinubu to approve the construction of a modern farm produce market in Ibaji as a way of immortalising the dead and to forestall future occurrences of such a devastating incident in the area.
Many traders from Ibaji travelling to Ilushi market in Edo State on Tuesday, September 29, 2025, to sell farm produce ahead of the 60th Independence anniversary celebration, lost their lives when the large wooden boat conveying them capsized, killing dozens of the travellers.
The Advocate reports that no fewer than 30 corpses had been recovered from the river while several other missing passengers are yet to be found. Making the appeal in a statement issued by Coterie of Ibaji Youths of Nigeria, COIYN, and co-signed by its Chairman Board of Trustees, Mr Tony Edike and the National Coordinator, Mr Jerry Nwuchola, at the weekend, Ibaji people also made a strong case for the intervention of Mr President on the abandoned project for the construction of the Idah – Ibaji – Otuocha (Anambra) Federal Highway which was intended to drastically reduce the travelling hours from Anambra to the FCT Abuja.
President Tinubu had in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, commiserated with the government and people of Kogi over the boat accident that claimed many lives from Ibaji Local Government Area and described the incident as “shocking and unfortunate”.
He expressed sorrow over the loss of the traders who were embarking on their legitimate quest to make a decent living and emphasised the need for operators of water transportation to prioritise safety over financial considerations in their daily business.
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However, the COIYN, which is an umbrella organisation for Ibaji Youths, urged the president to urgently come to the aid of the Ibaji local government and its people, who have suffered much neglect due to the non-provision of basic infrastructures by the Federal and Kogi State Governments since its creation in 1991. Ibaji reputed for large production of major agricultural produce like Rice, Yam, Cassava, Fish and vegetables, remains the only local government in Nigeria without electricity, asphalted road, good schools and health facilities.
The organisation noted that as part of the safety measures and to forestall future occurrences, the provision of a modern market and motorable road that would help the farmers and traders to market their produce in Ibaji will halt the risky travel by boats on the River Niger from Ibaji to Anambra, Delta and Edo States to market agricultural produce.
The statement entitled “A PASSIONATE APPEAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A LARGE MARKET AND PROVISION OF ALL-SEASON ROAD IN IBAJI LGA OF KOGI STATE TO HALT THE UNENDING TRAGEDIES OF BOAT MISHAPS”, reads in part:
“With hearts heavy with grief but emboldened by our unrelenting hope in your leadership, we, leaders and members of the Coterie of Ibaji Youths of Nigeria (COIYN), make this solemn and urgent appeal on behalf of the resilient but deeply neglected people of Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State, one of the oil-producing area of the country and a contributor to the wealth, economy and wellbeing of our state and the nation.
“Just a few days ago, our beloved community was once again plunged into mourning following yet another tragic boat mishap along our waterways, claiming the lives of promising men, women, and youths, fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers who were simply trying to make an honest living by transporting their farm produce to markets in Edo, Onitsha, and Idah. Your Excellency, this is not the first time many innocent lives have been lost to such a preventable disaster, and if nothing is done, it will not be the last.
“We are farmers. Our hands till the fertile soil of Ibaji, yielding yams, cassava, rice, maize, pepper, vegetables and other vital foodstuffs that feed our region and beyond. Yet, despite this agricultural wealth, Ibaji remains cut off from basic infrastructure, forcing our people to travel through dangerous waters in overcrowded wooden boats just to sell their produce.
“We hereby passionately appeal to your government to, as a matter of priority, construct a centrally located, accessible, and functional Large Market in Ibaji LGA, a facility worthy of the volume and value of produce Ibaji contributes to the national economy.”
Continuing, the group said: “This is not merely a plea for infrastructure development but a passionate plea to save the lives of our people from further disaster. A market within Ibaji will: Eliminate the desperate need to travel to far-off markets via hazardous waterways; Revive the local economy and reduce rural poverty; Stimulate commercial activity and employment within the region; Prevent needless deaths like the recent heartbreaking boat tragedy.
“Your Excellency, we know your administration is committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda. But hope, to us, is not a slogan, it is a lifeline. And today, we are holding onto it with everything we have. We call on you, as the father of our great nation, to immortalise the innocent souls lost in this latest tragedy by ensuring that such bloodshed is never repeated due to infrastructural neglect.
“Let the construction of a large and modern market in Ibaji stand as your government’s monument to compassion, to justice, and to responsive leadership just as the construction of the abandoned Idah – Ibaji – Otuocha Federal Highway project, which has since been abandoned by successive administrations at the federal level, would be highly appreciated by all Ibaji sons and daughters as a lifetime legacy of the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu administration in the hearts of our people.”
