Harboursandport.com: Lagos - Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, AMANO have charged coastal communities in the country to embrace high sanitation standards and stop dumping their wastes into the open oceans.
AMANO, gave the charge during a cleanup exercise of Sagbokoji Island, in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Lagos State, in commemoration of this year's world maritime day; noted that doing so will not only promote healthy living but will also enhance the maritime economy for increased job and wealth creation among coastal settlers especially the youths.
Sagbokoji community in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, LGA, is one of the
Islands in Lagos State and like other settlements on the shore of the Atlantic
Ocean, at the Lagos end, it is a hub of maritime businesses.
Watching from the community square, boats of different sizes and shapes
moved non-stop on the lagoon, very close to the ocean just as loading and
offloading containers from ships were carried out.
Although, the community itself appeared relatively neat, areas near the
lagoon including the water body were nothing to write home about as they
were hugely polluted with waste materials, especially nylon bags and plastic
bottles littered.
President of AMANO, Austin Ume-Zurike, said the cleanup exercise
at Sagbokoji, became necessary to raise the consciousness of Nigerians in
riverine communities on the need to promote a healthy environment.
According to Ume-Zurike a clean environment is necessary for the
thriving of the maritime economy as shippers, Mariners and Tourists would like to
come and invest in places that are decent and free of pollution.
He stated that as part of the World Maritime Day celebration by
AMANO was to identify communities within the maritime environment and
sensitize them on the benefits of keeping their environments clean.
"We want to teach them how to take care of the environment.
Keeping the environment clean is the responsibility of everyone. As community,
you generate the waste, you should be able to take of your wastes", he
said.
The exercise involved public sensitization of the residents and
cleaning of the surroundings by the members and AMANO and the selected youths
of the community.
Ume-Zurike noted that the cleanup exercise would be an annual thing in
which other communities would be adopted.
He revealed that going forward, AMANO would partner waste disposal
companies for seamless waste collection and management in coastal areas, just
as the debris gathered during the Sagbonkoji event would be properly managed.
"Part of our activities is to engage the Marine pollution
companies, waste disposal companies, and recycling companies. Basically, we will
separate the wastes, and then they can be disposed in an environmentally friendly
way. The plastics will be recycled".
"We hope to make it an annual event, moving from one community to
another. People in the environment will know the benefits of keeping it
clean.
"Wastes affect everything including making it difficult for ships
to navigate and berth comfortably".
The AMANO president appealed to riverine communities to always be
willing to welcome organisations with the intention of cleaning their areas as
it is in their best interest.
His words; "Communities within the riverine areas should understand
that their wastes pollute the environment and when associations like ours come
to their support to give them sensitization exercise, they should welcome them.
Be willing to listen rather than make demands".
Receiving the guests on behalf of the Traditional Ruler of Sagbonkoji
Community, a palace spokesperson Chief Atodgmiu Noel, thanked them for choosing
their area for the exercise.
While noting that different Organisations have been coming to the community
for one reason or the other, Chief Noel who goes by the title " Asiwaju of
Sagbonkoji", pleaded to AMANO to assist them in the area of job creation
for their youths.
"Our youths are jobless. If you can grant opportunity for the youths
to take part in cleaning like this or in other things, we will be glad.
"This is a popular community, we vote massively during elections
but the politicians easily forget us.
“We are suffering. No electricity. With the high cost of fuel the
situation is bad.
"We need help. Let the Organisation carry our youths along in the
area of employment", he added.
All the tools used for the cleanup exercise including wastebaskets,
rakes and waste Packers were donated to the community to enhance their capacity
in cleaning up the Maritime environment in the over seven villages that make up
the area.
The theme of this year's World Maritime Day celebration is “Sustainable
Shipping for a sustainable planet
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