Director General/CEO, Chartered Institute of Environmental and Public Health Management of Nigeria, Prince George Ayoade (2nd left), Professor Bamidele Badejo of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State (2nd right) and other fellows of the institute at the annual stakeholders’ conference held in Lagos, recently.

An environmental expert and a Professor of Geography and Regional Planning at the Department of Geography, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Bamidele Badejo has listed the twin problems of poor planning and weak regulations as the major causes of marine environmental degradation in Nigeria.

Prof Badejo, who is currently the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Studies at the university, and a chartered Town Planner with speciality in transport, spoke in Lagos recently at the Annual International Environmental Management Stakeholders’ Conference organised by the Charted Institute of Environmental and Public Health Management of Nigeria.

The one-day event was organised in collaboration with the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria MARAN with the theme: “Marine Pollution Control and Challenges od Seaport Environmental Health Management in the 21st Century”.

The Professor, while delivering a keynote address entitled: “Water Transport and Environmental Degradation Quagmire-the role of International agencies in sustainable Environment and Development”, observed that water transport remains an important mode for the mobility and physical distribution and logistics purposes.

He also observed that water transport is probably the oldest means of movement in human history, which accounts for why early traditional villages, towns and cities were located within the coastal areas, noting that despite the huge benefits drawn from water transport, it also has some attributes that are negative to the survival of man and its socio economic requirements, including the degradation of the environment.

According to him, since 70per cent of the earth surface is covered by water, activities on water when not properly managed spread across the globe to affect other parts of the world that had no contribution to the environmental issues being faced.

He cited the problem of water hyacinths in Brazil, which has become a common phenomenon in West African sub-region, especially the coastal waters of Nigeria, adding that there are other numerous and limitless activities of man taking place on waters, which eventually translate to degrading the environment.

Badejo, a one-time Commissioner of Transport in Lagos State, however noted that this situation is even worse among developing nations including Nigeria due to the twin problems of lack of planning and weak regulations, many of which are not strictly enforced, thus giving room for all forms of degradation of the marine environment even as the perpetrators go unpunished.

This is especially given that inland waterways are governed or regulated by local or national laws in a country such as Nigeria’s Coastal and Inland Shipping Cabotage Act 2003, while the maritime or ocean waters are regulated or governed through international laws, regulations and conventions, which suggests compliance with international laws and standards.

While underscoring the need for planning and strict adherence to relevant regulation, he noted that over 60per cent of the Nigerian population lives within the marine environment, about 58 per cent of the movement of goods and persons done through water transport while all the country’s conventional seaports are located within the marine environment.

He said: “A study at the University of Ibadan in 1987 shows that 80per cent of the characteristic polluters are woods due to the absence of palletisation, vehicles due to the absence of Roll-On-Roll-Off vessels and containerisation while the dominant sources of pollution have remained gas, liquid and other solid substances.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria plans for its citizens while elsewhere, the government or its agencies plan with the citizens and there are so many factors that pose threats to the marine environment, which include economic, unemployment, political and social. There are also so many interest groups, at least 18 of them that try to manage the marine environmental issues in Nigeria. The country also does not have any regulation protecting shipping lines and persons etc”

As a way out, he proposed that attention should be focused on how best to manage human activities and their relationship or consequences on water transport, adding that this is desirable if the environmental degradation worries are to be mitigated.

He also recommended that the government should as a matter of urgency re-evaluate, revalue and restructure the entire processes in place to ensure sustainable water transport, hence the need for surveillance, monitoring and promoting compliance with extant regulations and standards, which are collectively initiated and endorsed for implementation.

Speaking earlier in a welcome address, President of MARAN, Anya Njoku observed that pollution around the marine environment remains one crucial area policy makers in Nigeria have not given the attention it deserves, citing certain economic activities around Apapa, Lagos, which houses the country’s two biggest cargo seaports.

He regretted that these activities have huge negative impacts on port workers and other stakeholders including ferry services users, a development that calls for urgent attention of the government and policy makers.

The Director General/CEO of the institute, Prince George Ayoade, who also spoke at the event, noted that the instate has taken steps towards bringing to the fore the issues of marine environmental challenges, not only in Nigeria but also across the African region.

This, according to him led the institute to enter into partnerships in terms of signing of Memorandum of Understanding MoU with institutions of higher learning especially within the littoral regions in the continent and more recently an MoU with MARAN, a body of media practitioners covering the maritime industry for proper enlightenment and sensitisation.