The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has warned against the indiscriminate dumping of waste at sea. T
The agency therefore inaugurated Marine Litter Marshals to assist in ridding the oceans of unwanted waste materials that could cause environmental degradation and also impede safety of navigation on the nation’s territorial waters.
Accordingly, NIMASA charged Nigerians on the sustainable use of the ocean resources, adding that there are many activities dependent on the ocean hence the need to ensure it is clean and properly utilized.
The agency’s Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who stated this during the flag-off ceremony of the Marine Litter Marshals held at the Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre in Lagos, explained that “the state of health of the ocean is related to the state of our health and our economy, therefore we must stop the indiscriminate dumping of materials in our ocean.”
He stated that marine litter directly impacts on ocean life, marine habitats, human health, and navigational safety with potential impacts on the socio-economic development of nations. This, he stressed, informed the agency’s collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Partnership Action (GPA) in 2015, to carry out a scientific study on marine litter challenge in Nigeria, thereby culminating in the development of the national action plan on marine litter and its campaign concept.
Dr. Peterside, who used the opportunity to charge the marshals to go to the ports, coastlines and littoral communities and enlighten them on the need to maintain cleaner oceans, enjoined them to also keep watch and ensure that the right thing is done so that our ecosystem can be preserved. He further warned that the agency will not condone indiscriminate dumping of wastes at sea.
President of the Waste Management Society of Nigeria, Professor Osinbajo Oladele, said there is the need to preserve our oceans as it holds a lot of opportunities in developing the nation.
“The environment is not a gift from our parents, but a loan from our children. We must, therefore, do all we can to preserve it,” Professor Osinbajo said.