Mrs Violet Olaitan Williams President, Ocean Ambassadors Foundation
…Educates Students On Possible Solutions
The Ocean Ambassadors Foundation has celebrated this year Children’s Day with a School to Sea Career Tour on Thursday.at the LTT Coastal and Marine Services Ltd in Apapa Lagos.
The event with the theme: ‘Marine Litter in our Waters and the Negative Impact on Blue Economy with Solutions’ has in attendance students representatives from various school.
Doing justice to the theme of the day, the guest speaker for the program, Dr Awwal Bamanga, who is an Assistant Director, Marine Environment Management Department, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says campaigns and education to increase awareness and promote behavioural change is key to addressing menace of marine litters.
Dr. Bamanga said that the key thing is to research and know where the litters come from in other to address it.
He hinted that other recommendations in addressing the marine litters are long-term engagement with industry in addressing waste management issues, giving consumers incentives to recycle persistent materials.
He added that there is need to prevent and reduce the production and consumption of environmentally persistent types of plastic which can be addressed in part through further research and development.
He stressed that recognition and concern regarding marine debris and others are key to checkmating marine litters.
He pointed out some of the sources of marine litters to include unprocessed waste from sewage treatment plants, items washed down from rivers, fishing equipment abandoned at sea
He also listed some of the ways to address marine litters as: legislation, involvement of stakeholders, recycling, mapping out where the litters emanate, reducing collection and others.
In his word “Iif the marine litters are not mitigated, the impact are hazardous such as habitat damage, hazard to navigation, ingestion by fishes which lead to death, entanglement and economic cost”.
Addressing the students at the event, the Chairperson of Mulifelong Motors Ltd., Mrs Mulikat Sanni said that education without moral can be likened to a tea without sugar, adding that she was glad that emphasis at the event was on clean environment.
Mrs Sanni admonished the girls to prioritize decency in their physical appearance, conduct, speech and all aspects of their lives.
“When you take a drink, look for a waste bin to dispose the cans or bottles. We should also look towards adding value and preserving the environment,” she said.
Adding his voice, Mr Kalusky Yechiel, Managing Director, Marine Division Lagos Channel Management (LTT), said that it was unfortunate that waste management was not properly treated in Nigeria.
According to him, presently there are signs that government is trying to change the narrative.
“I am excited with the level of education around waste recycling and marine litter management. What we are doing here today is the first step to clean Nigerian environment,” he said.
While speaking earlier at the event, the President of Ocean Ambassadors Foundation, Mrs Violet Olaitan Williams, , noted that the day was to catch them young for the girls to know that they are not supposed to throw plastics, even in drainage.
“Charity begins at home, so the need to educate these young ones on the right things to do.
“A letter will also be sent to managements of each schools that came today for them to have marine litter advocacy clubs, so that more awareness will be created,” she said.
She however appreciate all the guests and dignitaries for taking out time to be part of the event while the students were taken on board vessel for sea tour.
