An indigenous environmental company, Parts Central Ltd., is to provide strategic oversight and implementation support for a comprehensive clean-up initiative designed to improve operations in Nigeria’s waterways.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr Henry Onifade, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Onifade said the oversight and implementation support was approved by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
He said that the initiative was also aimed to enhance the nation’s waterways economic potential.
According to Onifade, the initiative was equally aimed at addressing the growing environmental challenges confronting Nigeria’s inland waterways.
“The project represents a major step towards achieving a cleaner, safer, and more investment-friendly inland waterways ecosystem in Nigeria.
“The initiative is expected to tackle the persistent problems of waste pollution, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, oil spillage and environmental degradation across Nigeria’s vast inland waterways through a structured and sustainable approach.
“ The project will delibrately identify major sources of pollution, facilitate systematic waste removal and promote innovative waste-to-wealth solutions capable of creating employment opportunities for communities situated along the waterways,” he said.
He said that the project was also aimed to improve navigational safety by removing obstacles hindering smooth movement of vessels and other watercraft.
“It is also expected to support the conservation of aquatic resources, strengthen the fisheries value chain, and contribute significantly to the realisation of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the Marine and Blue Economy sector.
“As part of its broader objectives, the initiative seeks to reposition Nigeria’s inland waterways as attractive destinations for local and foreign investment by promoting environmental sustainability and enhancing the overall efficiency of water transportation,” he said.
Onifade assured Nigerians that every aspect of the programme would be professionally executed to deliver lasting results.
He said that the initiative marked a historic intervention in the management of Nigeria’s inland waterways, and reaffirmed the commitment of the company to ensuring transparency, sustainability and measurable environmental impact.
Onifade called on government agencies, private sector operators, host communities, environmental groups, and other stakeholders in blue economy to support the initiative.
According to him, collective participation will be crucial to the success of the initiative.
He expressed confidence that with sustained collaboration, Nigeria would soon witness cleaner, safer, and more productive inland waterways.
