The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Parts Central Limited on Tuesday launched the clean-up initiative of the nation’s inland waterways in Lagos.

Speaking during the launch, the Lagos Area Manager, Engineer Sarat Braimah, called on dredgers, boat operators, tank farm operators and waterfront owners to stop the pollution of the nation’s inland waterways, calling on all operators to ensure waterways cleanliness in all their operations.

According to Engineer Sarat Braimah, “We are unveiling Parts Central as a partner to National Inland Waterways Authority. And what they are supposed to do is to help us in making sure that the Inland Waterways of Nigeria is clean and safe for navigation.

“You will all agree with me that Lagos State is the heart of Nigeria, and anything that wants to be done nationwide has to start in Lagos. We have to make sure that it works well before we translate such to other states.

“You will also agree with me that one third of Lagos State is covered by water. The economy of this state depends solely on water and we are talking about blue economy. So how do we make this work? Making it work starts from making it clean.

“If the water is clean, navigation will be easier. If the water is clean, it will create jobs for even our youth. Most times when you go to any state, any country that you see violence, you see fights, mostly the youth are not engaged.

“So through cleaning, a lot of jobs can be created. NIWA is going to provide regulatory tpuch to this project.

“It is so important that the waterfront owners, dredgers and boat operators comlly. Most of the waste in our waterways are generated by these people.

“Waterfront owners don’t even see reason to have a soak away. They believe our water should take it away. This is wrong practice. We want to stop this.

“If you go to Kirikiri, our tank farm owners empty their waste in our waters. That is why that stretch of inland waterways is the dirtiest in Nigeria.

“If you go to saner climes, you will see that their water is blue. But here in Lagos, our waterways is blackish. Its because of waste dumping, and this is seriously affecting our inland waterways. Even the fish, everything is being affected.

“I know our fishermen are here too. Our operators are here. Please cooperate with Parts Central Ltd.

“Dump your plastic waste properly. This plastic waste can be recycled. It can be used economically to generate something for this nation.

“So, I would like you to cooperate with Parts Central. Cooperate with National Inland Waterways. We are making Lagos State clean for everybody. Please, dump your waste properly. If you are dredging, create a bar that will take off your water.”

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On his part, Managing Director, Parts Central Ltd, Henry Olaoluwa Onifade, explained that all jetties and passenger boats will now have refuse bins installed in them.

“We are deploying different types of technology that will capture every area and every waterfront. Landing pods and facilities will provide and make sure that every boat on Nigerian or any watercraft on Nigerian inland waterways will have a newer and passenger approved waste bin.

“Every jetty will have a mother bin where you will offload your waste when you are docking. These are many more. Parts of our mandate will be shared around,” the Parts Central boss stated.

Other stakeholders who attended the event included boat operators, dredgers, Lagos State government officials, amongst others.