The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in partnership with Parts Central Ltd, has launched a new waterways cleanup initiative in Lagos, with a structured waste management system planned for boats, jetties, landing ports and waterfront facilities across the state.
The initiative, unveiled in Lagos on Tuesday, is designed to improve the cleanliness and safety of Nigeria’s inland waterways, enhance navigation, protect aquatic life, create employment opportunities and support the development of the nation’s blue economy.
Speaking at the unveiling, NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah, said the partnership with Parts Central was aimed at ensuring that the nation’s inland waterways remained clean, safe and navigable.
Braimah described Lagos as an appropriate starting point for the initiative because of the state’s extensive waterways and the significant role water transportation plays in its economy.
According to her, about one-third of Lagos State is covered by water, making the condition of its waterways critical to economic activities and the livelihoods of people who depend on them.
“Making it work starts from making it clean. If the water is clean, navigation will be easy. If the water is clean, it will create jobs for even our youth,” she said.
She explained that the initiative would involve waterfront owners, dredging operators, boat operators and other users of the waterways, stressing that their cooperation would be critical to achieving sustainable results.
Braimah urged waterfront owners to provide appropriate waste disposal facilities, while calling on companies operating along the waterways to ensure that their waste was properly treated and disposed of.
She also appealed to boat operators and other users of the waterways to cooperate with NIWA and Parts Central as the cleanup operations commence.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Parts Central Ltd, Hon. Henry Olaoluwa Onifade, said the company would deploy technology to cover waterfronts, landing ports and jetties as part of the initiative.
He disclosed that boats and other watercraft operating on Nigeria’s inland waterways would be provided with NIWA- and Parts Central-approved waste bins, while mother bins would be installed at jetties to enable operators to offload collected waste when docking.
Onifade said the waste management system would form part of the interventions being introduced under the partnership with NIWA.
He called on stakeholders to support the initiative and give maximum cooperation to the cleanup teams, stressing that the success of the programme depended on collective responsibility.
The Parts Central boss also urged operators to embrace recycling and adopt environmentally responsible practices capable of protecting the waterways for future generations.
“Our waterways must not only be clean, they must be safe, productive and sustainable,” he said.
According to Onifade, a cleaner and safer waterways environment would help unlock the enormous economic potential of Nigeria’s inland waterways, while creating opportunities for employment and supporting the growth of the blue economy.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Hon. Ekundayo Alebiosu, said the initiative underscored the importance of collaboration between the Lagos State and Federal Governments in protecting the state’s waterways.
Alebiosu said keeping the waterways safe, clean and usable should remain a priority, noting that the condition of the aquatic environment had direct implications for fishing, navigation and the wider waterfront economy.
He, however, expressed concern over the environmental impact of illegal dredging, saying activities that disturb the underwater environment could affect aquatic life and force fishermen to travel farther in search of fish.
He noted that the environmental consequences of activities on the waterways must be considered alongside their economic benefits.
The commissioner also raised concerns over illegal infrastructure associated with dredging, particularly underground pipes and other obstructions which, he said, could endanger boats and contribute to accidents and capsizing.
Alebiosu called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, communities and waterways operators to address activities threatening the safety and sustainability of Lagos waterways.
The initiative also received the backing of the Maritime Police, with Deputy Commissioner of Police, U.M. Ogechi, PhD, representing the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Maritime Police, stressing the link between environmental protection, maritime safety and security.
Ogechi said Nigeria’s economy depended significantly on maritime activities and warned that unhealthy waterways could endanger aquatic life, boat operators and passengers.
She noted that polluted or unsafe waterways could contribute to boat accidents and loss of lives, stressing that protecting the waterways was therefore both an environmental and security responsibility.
The DCP also commended traditional rulers and communities for providing information that had helped security agencies tackle piracy and other crimes on the waterways.
She urged communities to continue providing intelligence to security agencies, assuring stakeholders that the Marine Police had a presence across several waterways and states in the country.
President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Operators (NATOP), Mrs. Bolaji Mustapha, described clean and safe waterways as essential to the development of water-based tourism.
Mustapha said the condition of Nigeria’s waterways could influence tourists’ perception of the country, recounting an experience in which a tourist boat became stuck on the water while conveying visitors.
She said such incidents could create a negative impression among international tourists and urged NIWA and Parts Central to intensify awareness among communities and waterways operators.
According to her, the benefits of cleaner waterways would extend beyond boat owners and marine operators to tourism and the wider economy.
Also speaking, the Odofin of Onisiwo, High Chief Lateef Rufai, welcomed the initiative, noting that waste deposited on the waterways often ended up along the shores of waterfront communities.
He expressed optimism that regular cleanup activities would improve the environment and living conditions of communities located along the waterways.
Meanwhile, the Head of Corporate Communication and Strategy of the Sustainable Waterways Awareness, Advancement and Development Organisation (SWAADO), Chief Raymond Gold, pledged the organisation’s support for the initiative.
Gold said SWAADO was committed to promoting sustainability and safety on Nigeria’s waterways, adding that its Nigeria Waterways Directory could provide useful information to support the programme.
He described the directory as a comprehensive mapping of operators, jetties, communities and waterways infrastructure across Nigeria’s inland waterways system, noting that the resource could support practical and measurable interventions.
The stakeholders stressed that the success of the initiative would require sustained collaboration among NIWA, Parts Central, the Lagos State Government, security agencies, waterfront communities, boat operators, tourism operators and other users of the waterways.
They linked a cleaner and safer waterways environment to improved navigation, increased tourism opportunities, employment creation, protection of aquatic life and the development of Nigeria’s blue economy.
With the introduction of approved waste bins for boats and mother bins at jetties, the NIWA-Parts Central partnership is expected to establish a more organised system for collecting and managing waste generated from activities along Lagos’ inland waterways.