From Blessing Mbonu, Port Harcourt
A group, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an end to pollution in the oceans and an end to sea piracy.
The group emphasized the need for the protection of the aquatic ecosystem.
The Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey who made the call in his address at the School of Ecology session on Politics of the Sea, expressed concern for the Blue Economy concept under what he titled ‘the blues of Blue Economy’.
Bassey said: “We want to protect our fisheries, we want to protect our aquatic ecosystem, and we want to call for an end to pollution, sea piracy and human right abuse from security agents in our waters. We are calling for the use of marine resources for our citizens in a sustain-able way. We are calling for an end to seeing and treating our Ocean, Rivers and creeks as waste dumps.
“We are especially calling for a halt in investment in searching for new fossil fuels, expansion of oil wells in our water bodies and other frontal basins.”
Also, in his paper presentation titled “Politics of Turbulent Waters” Bassey noted that the position of Africa at the center of the world, but the challenge of being in the center is that it is very accessible from every part of the world which makes it easy to be exploited.
“Africa is extremely exploited, the amount of money that comes into Africa is less than the resources that leave to other part of the world. We are appealing that the young people become actively involved in nonpartisan politics and what I had call the politics of listening.”
One of the speakers at the session, Dr Dakuku Peterside during the session, lamented the illegal and unreported activities carried out at the Gulf of Guinea which has made the Gulf the most dangerous waterways in the world.
In his paper presentation titled ‘Security in the Gulf of Guinea’, the former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Peterside stated that the unique ecosystem has attracted global attention and consequent dangers in the waterways.
“For many reasons, the Gulf of Guinea is a place of interest internationally. The Gulf of Guinea is a place of interest continentally. It is a place of interest to those who are into shipping. It is a place of interest, for those who are into fishing. So, for diverse reasons, the ecosystem of the Gulf of Guinea is unique. It is the third largest in the world.
“The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 2.7% of fossil natural gas reserve globally, and it is one of the richest fishing grounds globally. This is because some of the fish spices you may find in the Gulf of Guinea may not be found elsewhere in the world. So, it’s a unique ecosystem,” he said.
The Executive Director of Lokiaka women development and resources center, Martha Agbani in her paper presentation noted that oil pollution is particularly threating rivers and other water bodies in Ogoniland.
She noted that various food products have gone into extinction because of oil pollution.
“The Ogoni People are rich in diverse culture and varieties of food but the depths of pollution in the area have pushed some of these into extinction. This pollution has been left unattended to over the years and the government seems to act like it is not aware or that it lacks the capacity to deal with the problem. The encroachment and rapid invasion of Nipa Palm is also another issue that is threatening the health of our aquatic ecosystem.
“We see people go into the river to fish and return empty handed with their legs and net soiled with oil. At Lokiakia foundation, we decided to come up with ideas to replant mangroves in the Ogoni land pending when the cleanup will commence. We now see things like periwinkles return to some parts of the river as the land is being treated and mangroves begin to regrow. At least this little quantity can serve individuals and families for their immediate use. We see mangrove planting as means of reopening the river live for more use.”
Participants at the School of Ecology believe that activities in some of these sectors, like underwater mining and related activities will undermine the ecological integrity of African freshwater and marine ecosystems.
