Honourable Henry Olaoluwa Onifade, Managing Director of Parts Central, has announced that his firm has received approval from the Federal Government to clean up Nigeria's waterways. The initiative, known as Clean-Up Nigeria Inland Waterways, aims to bring together stakeholders and establish a structured system for managing waste across inland waterways. Onifade emphasized that the private sector has a major role to play in solving the problem of pollution. Parts Central will deploy technology, manpower, and waste-management systems to ensure that waterways are clean, safe, productive, and sustainable.
The technology being deployed will enable Parts Central to identify and capture information from different areas, including waterfronts, landing ports, and jetties. Every boat and watercraft operating on Nigeria's inland waterways will be required to have an NIWA- and Parts Central-approved waste bin. At jetties, "mother bins" will be provided as collection points for waste from boats. This approach aims to prevent people from dumping waste directly into the waterways. The initiative also includes sorting, recycling, and proper evacuation of waste.
According to Onifade, Parts Central spent over seven months studying the problem of waste pollution and trying to understand its sources. The firm deployed technology to identify areas where waste is coming from and gathered information to develop a system that can identify different jetties, communities, waterfront properties, and landing ports. This research-based approach will enable targeted interventions in specific locations.
The initiative will begin with identification and mapping of locations, including jetties, communities, waterfront properties, and stakeholders. This will help Parts Central and NIWA understand who the stakeholders are and where waste-management challenges are located. The firm will break down the Lagos waterfront into identifiable locations and communities to ensure targeted interventions.
The initiative will target various forms of waste, including debris, plastic bottles, biodegradable waste, and human waste. Onifade emphasized that the problem is much bigger than just removing visible plastics from the surface of the water. The initiative aims to address serious issues such as human waste and sewage discharge into the waterways.
Jetties will play a crucial role in the programme as major points of interaction between people and boats with the waterways. Parts Central will map jetties, identify their owners and operators, and ensure that every jetty has a proper waste-collection system. The mother bins will serve as collection points where waste from boats can be deposited, making it easier for boat operators to dispose of waste properly.
The collected waste will be disposed of through various methods, depending on the type and volume of waste. Parts Central will establish collection points, sort the waste, and move it through appropriate channels. The objective is not to simply move waste from the water to another location but to sort waste, identify materials that can be recycled, and ensure that different categories are handled appropriately.
Key points
- The initiative aims to establish a complete waste-management chain, from collection to disposal and recycling.
- The partnership between Parts Central and NIWA is expected to be a long-term one.
- The initiative is designed to be sustainable, with technology deployed to continuously monitor the situation and identify areas where waste is being generated.
