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Watersports · History

History of Watersports in Nigeria

War canoes, regattas, colonial boat clubs and Olympic paddlers.

Boat regatta display at Opobo, Rivers State

Photo: Ighophua, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Our history

A people of the water

For the peoples of Nigeria’s coast and rivers, the canoe was road, market and weapon. The city-states of the Niger Delta, among them Bonny, Opobo, Kalabari and Brass, built great war canoes that could carry dozens of fighting men, drummers and even cannon. Fishing communities of the Ijaw, Ilaje, Itsekiri and Awori lived on the water, and children learned to paddle almost as soon as they could walk.

Out of this world came the regatta: a festival of decorated canoes, paddling songs, masquerades and cannon fire, first held to honour the water spirits and to show the power of kings. Colonial officials were welcomed with regattas, independence was celebrated with them, and they remain a proud part of festivals in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Lagos.

Modern watersports arrived with the Lagos Yacht Club (1932) and the Lagos Motor Boat Club (1950). In recent decades the Nigeria Rowing, Canoe and Sailing Federation has built a pathway to the Olympic Games, opening an Olympic-standard canoe lane at Jabi Lake in 2018, and Lagos has turned its lagoon into a stage for world events such as the E1 Lagos Grand Prix.

The regatta held in Lagos during FESTAC ’77, the Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture
Photo: Helinä Rautavaara Museum, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Verified timeline · checked 30 September 2026

Watersports in Nigeria: a timeline

  1. Centuries agoRiverine peoples such as the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Ilaje, Awori, Efik and Kalabari build canoes for fishing, trade and war. War canoes carry dozens of fighters, drummers and cannon.
  2. Pre-colonialRegattas grow from rituals to honour water spirits and display a ruler’s power.
  3. 1920A regatta is staged at Bonny for Lord Lugard.
  4. 1932The Lagos Yacht Club is formed at Magazine Point; its first regatta is held on 29 October 1932.
  5. 1934The Argungu Fishing Festival begins in Kebbi, marking peace between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom.
  6. 1950The Lagos Motor Boat Club is founded on 23 January.
  7. 1960Regattas mark Nigeria’s independence.
  8. 1977A grand regatta is held in Lagos during FESTAC ’77.
  9. 2012Johnathan Akinyemi becomes Nigeria’s first Olympic canoeist, in London.
  10. 2016UNESCO inscribes the Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival on its intangible heritage list.
  11. 2018The Admiral Porbeni Canoe and Kayak Lane opens at Jabi Lake, Abuja.
  12. 2019Ayomide Bello wins four canoe sprint golds at the African Games in Rabat.
  13. 2021Bello becomes Nigeria’s first female Olympic canoeist, at Tokyo 2020.
  14. 2023Abuja hosts the African canoe sprint Olympic qualifiers; Nigeria wins 3 Paris 2024 places. The Nigeria Surfing Federation holds a national contest at Tarkwa Bay.
  15. 2025Lagos hosts the E1 Lagos GP, Africa’s first electric powerboat race.
  16. 2026National canoe trials in Abuja launch the road to Los Angeles 2028.

Kebbi State

The Argungu Fishing Festival

Held on the Matan Fada river in Argungu, Kebbi State, the festival began in 1934. Thousands of fishermen plunge into the river with hand nets and gourds to catch the biggest fish; at the 2020 edition the winning fish weighed 78 kg. The festival returned in 2020 after about ten years away and held its 61st edition in February 2026.

Fishermen at the Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival, Kebbi State
Photo: Yemi festus, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Quick answers

Watersports history: quick answers

What is a regatta in Nigeria?

A festival of decorated canoes with paddling races, music, masquerades and cannon fire, held by riverine communities in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Lagos.

When was the Lagos Yacht Club founded?

In 1932. Its first meeting was on 4 October and its first regatta on 29 October 1932.

Is the Argungu Fishing Festival a UNESCO heritage event?

Yes. UNESCO inscribed the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival on its intangible cultural heritage list in 2016.