Ismaila Umaru Lere
As Nigeria glides into the elections season with expectations of conducting credible polls and attaining a peaceful transition of power at national and subnational levels, the world’s attention will be on Africa’s largest democracy observing how the country scales through the democratic hurdles. The global focus is equally on the city of Lisbon in Portugal where the World Ocean Summit is holding from February 27 to March 1, 2023. A cross-section of the international ocean community from business and finance to governments, policy-makers, civil society and academics are converging in the port city to inspire bold thinking, trigger effective action to develop a sustainable ocean economy and proffer ocean solutions. The annual global event is aimed at changing the way business is done in the ocean.
The summit is expected to focus on sustainable ocean thinking and practice as well as steer progress toward addressing the greatest challenges facing the ocean: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
It is expected that high-level policy discussions will also focus on marine industries including shipping, fishing, aquaculture, energy and tourism.
From a Nigerian perspective, the summit is holding at an auspicious moment, being mindful of the country’s frontline status in ensuring the health and sustainability of oceans and its commitment to reducing the menace of marine plastic pollution from land-based sources and activities.
The Federal Government formulated and established a National Policy on Plastic Pollution, and the Road Map on Tackling Solid and Plastic Waste Management in line with Nigeria’s devotion to effective ocean governance.
President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, in Lisbon, Portugal that Nigeria had mainstreamed ocean management into the economy, constituting a Presidential Committee on Sustainable Blue Economy.
Nigeria’s commitment to participating constructively in the ongoing negotiations for various multilateral agreements on sustainable use of marine biological diversity underscores the importance of the matter and thus elicits our collective concerns and indulgence.
Nigeria is enormously endowed with biodiversity resources, which if properly harnessed, will be key to sustainable development.
We need to acknowledge the fact that a healthy ocean and coastal environment is key to sustainable development. We must, therefore, conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources to our advantage. The ocean is veritable to the global economy, with an estimated 40 million people projected to be employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
With a coastline of about 853km along its entire southern border, the longest in the West African region. Seven states, namely, Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers bestride the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. The coastline is sadly vulnerable to pollution and sea level rise owing to climate change and anthropogenic activities.
Frequent discharge of hot effluents, untreated sewage, oil spills, plastics and other forms of debris into our coastal aquatic environment is quite common off the coasts of Lagos and major industrialized cities of the Niger Delta region such as Warri and Port Harcourt.
In as much as plastic pollution to the country’s aquatic environment is a matter of grave concern, the evidence of polyethylene materials directly polluting water bodies and the oceans should be treated as a crunch issue.
Interestingly, there are relatively few researches conducted on plastic pollution which is very widespread in Nigeria’s ocean environment.
As at May 2021 there were only 26 such studies in Nigeria, compared to 62 peer-reviewed studies on the Arctic Ocean. Between 1987 and September 2020, there were 59 studies on the African aquatic environment.
A recent study indicated that water sachets and shopping bags are the major constituents of plastic waste in Nigeria. Households, markets and educational institutions are among the major culprits. They are indirect routes of entry of plastic waste, particularly into water bodies in Nigeria.
According to another survey, Lagos, a megacity of nearly 16 million people, produces between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of waste per day, including 2,250 tonnes of plastic.
Nigerian lawmakers considered a bill in 2019 to prohibit the use of plastic bags. The bill is still in limbo. It is yet to undergo further reading and has not been enacted into law. Consequently, plastic bags are being indiscriminately used in Nigeria.
The evidence of the harm this does is mounting.
There’s no gainsaying the fact that low level of recycling – less than 12% – and inadequate waste collection pose a huge threat to plastic pollution management in the country.
A key theme at last year’s United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya was eradicating plastic pollution. Many countries have keyed into this initiative. Unfortunately, Nigeria has not done much in this regard. Compared to other developing countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, the country’s commitments, despite the efforts of the Buhari Administration at combating plastic pollution, are far below average.
Some African countries have taken steps to curb plastic waste discarded into the environment and are gradually eliminating or banning single-use plastics. They have also made producers more responsible through buy-back programmes.
Here in Nigeria, government at all levels should assiduously pursue policies and measures to combat the usage of plastic materials.
Combating plastic pollution will require action on several fronts. The first step will be to address poor waste management practices prevalent in the country.
Except the plastic pollution eradication policy is vigorously pursued and implemented by the federal government, whatever strategy employed will be ineffective.
In addition, government at national and subnational levels should levy a high fee on each plastic bag that shoppers get at malls and markets to discourage the practice. The authorities should launch a campaign and crack down on plastic bags and bottles in the country. Paper bags should be encouraged. Ultimately, the federal government must ensure access to clean water and.educate the public on the dangers of discarding water sachets and bottles in the environment.
Government should also explore trans-disciplinary approaches including using innovative technologies.
Similarly, the informal sector has a role in curbing plastic waste in the environment. Policies and incentives, backed by robust enforcement, should target plastic-producing companies to encourage polymer replacement and recycling.
Scientists, activists and researchers need funds and deploy modern facilities to evaluate plastic footprint and the risk to animals and humans.
Citizens and leaders have the responsibility of bequeathing an environment that future Nigerians can be proud of. Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and other countries have taken steps to protect their environments from more plastic pollution. Nigeria can no longer afford to wait.