The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in partnership with Parts Central Limited, has launched a nationwide clean-up initiative aimed at tackling pollution, improving navigation and promoting safer and more sustainable inland waterways across Nigeria.
The initiative unveiled in Lagos on Tuesday under a 10-year renewable partnership will involve waterfront owners, dredging operators, boat operators, fishermen and other waterways users .
Speaking at the launch, NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah, identified indiscriminate waste disposal by waterfront owners, dredgers, boat operators and tank farm operators as major contributors to pollution in Lagos waterways.
Braimah said the partnership with Parts Central was designed to complement NIWA’s regulatory responsibilities by ensuring that the nation’s inland waterways remained clean, safe and navigable.
According to her, the initiative would focus on removing plastic bottles, human waste, refuse and other pollutants often dumped into the waterways.
“We are unveiling Parts Central as a partner to the National Inland Waterways Authority. What they are supposed to do is to help us in making sure that the inland waterways of Nigeria are clean and safe for navigation,” she said.
Braimah noted that Lagos was an appropriate starting point for the nationwide programme because of the state’s extensive waterways and their importance to its economy.
“You will agree with me that Lagos State is the heart of Nigeria, and anything that wants to be done nationwide has to start in Lagos. We have to make sure that it works well before we translate such to other states,” she said.
She added that with about one-third of Lagos covered by water, the state’s economy was closely linked to its waterways and that cleaner waterways would support navigation, create employment opportunities and strengthen the blue economy.
“If the water is clean, navigation will be easier. If the water is clean, it will create jobs for even our youth. So, through cleaning, a lot of jobs can be created,” Braimah said.
She urged waterfront owners, dredgers, boat operators, fishermen and tank farm operators to cooperate with the clean-up firm, stressing that many of the wastes found in the waterways were generated by activities along the waterfronts.
She particularly criticised the practice of waterfront residents and operators discharging waste directly into the water.
Braimah also alleged that some tank farm operators around the Kirikiri axis discharge waste into the waterways, describing the area as one of the dirtiest stretches of inland waterways in the country.
She said the pollution was affecting water quality and aquatic life, urging operators to adopt responsible waste-disposal practices.
She further encouraged waterways users to separate and properly dispose of plastic waste, noting that recyclable materials could be converted into economic value.
“Dump your plastic waste properly. This plastic waste can be recycled. It can be used economically to generate something for this nation,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Parts Central Limited, Hon. Henry Olaoluwa Onifade, said the company would deploy technology and a dedicated waste-management system covering waterfronts, landing ports and jetties.
Onifade said all passenger boats and other watercraft operating on the nation’s inland waterways would be provided with NIWA- and Parts Central-approved waste bins.
He added that larger “mother bins” would be installed at jetties to enable boat operators to offload collected waste when they dock.
“We are deploying different types of technology that will capture every area and every waterfront. Landing ports and facilities will provide and make sure that every boat or any watercraft on Nigerian inland waterways have an approved waste bin,” Onifade said.
“Every jetty will have a mother bin where you will offload your waste when you are docking.”
According to him, the system would establish an organised chain of waste collection and disposal while reducing the volume of refuse entering the waterways.
Onifade appealed to stakeholders to give maximum cooperation to the clean-up initiative, stressing that the success of the initiative would depend on collective responsibility.
He also urged waterways users to embrace recycling and other environmentally responsible practices, noting that cleaner waterways would create economic opportunities, support job creation and contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s blue economy.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Hon. Ekundayo Alebiosu, described the initiative as an important demonstration of collaboration between the Federal Government and Lagos State Government in protecting the state’s waterways.
Alebiosu said maintaining clean, safe and usable waterways should remain a priority because the condition of the aquatic environment directly affects fishing, navigation and the wider waterfront economy.
He, however, raised concerns over the environmental consequences of illegal dredging, warning that activities that disturb the underwater environment could damage aquatic life and force fishermen to travel farther in search of fish.
He called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, waterfront communities and waterways operators to tackle activities threatening the safety and sustainability of Lagos waterways.
Stakeholders at the launch, including boat operators, dredgers, community leaders and waterfront owners commended the initiative and pledged their support, expressing optimism that sustained clean-up operations would improve the environment and living conditions of communities along the waterways.
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