The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has reiterated its commitment to ensuring a safe marine environment by tackling the menace of marine litters in the nation’s territorial waters.
This commitment was made known by the Acting Director General of the Agency, Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro during the Stakeholders Forum on Marine Litter Management organised in Lagos recently by the United Nations Environmental Programme Global Partnership Action (UNEP-GPA) and NIMASA.
The Ag. DG who was represented by the Agency’s Director of Maritime Labour Services, Mrs. Juliana Gunwa said that marine litters have become a menace which must be tackled with all seriousness.
He said that this was the reason NIMASA has partnered with UNEP-GPA, a body of the United Nations to tackle the scourge.
The Ag. DG said that the management of the marine environment remained a critical component of ensuring safe and secure shipping and that NIMASA would continue to implement relevant International Maritime Organisation (IMO) instruments in line with the Agency’s mandate.
“We must ensure that our marine environment is pollution free, safe and secure for effective navigation” the Ag. DG said.
Also speaking at the event, the President of the Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON), Prof. Olaide Osinbajo said that he had observed that the major source of marine litters remained the land based source although shipping also contributes its own quota.
He however commended the Management of NIMASA for tackling the menace head on and advised that the Agency should seek to collaborate with other Federal and State Government Agencies in order to effectively deal with the scourge.
It would be recalled that NIMASA recently signed an agreement with UNEP-GPA under the co-ordination of Dr. Felicia Mogo, an Assistant Director in the Agency with the aim of developing a mechanism for the implementation of the National Action Plan on management of marine litters for Nigeria.
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