Owner of the boat which crashed in Lagos in July was on Monday arraigned at an Ikeja High Court.
Happiness Elebiju is facing a 10-count charge bordering on unintentional manslaughter brought against him by the state before Justice Josephine Oyefeso.
Twelve persons died in the mishap.
Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi, told the court that the defendant allegedly overloaded his boat, leading to the drowning of the 12 passengers.
Adeyemi described congestion as an illegal activity of boat operators and urged the court to convict the defendant as charged.