By Ajibola Adedoye
Inter-agency partnerships under Marine Spatial Planning which will ensure massive collaborations between all stakeholders has been identified as the only means where the desired results can be achieved in the blue and maritime economy.
Dr. Awwal Bamanga, Assistant Director, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) made this submission in his remark on Tuesday June 11, 2024 at an event marking 2024 World Ocean Day in Lagos.
Dr. Bamanga who was the Guest Speaker while delivering his paper titled “Blue Economy: Balancing Economic Growth and Ocean Health” noted that partnership in the sector will ensure that every MDAs and organizations plays its own role for the overall achievement of the blue economy growth in Nigeria.
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“Every stakeholder has its own role, the oil and gas sector, the communication sector even NIMASA has its own role, so when you are trying to produce Marine Spatial Planning, you need to sensitize all the stakeholders because when the document is in place, the implementation will lie on every organizations and the Integrated Coastal Zone Management will identify clearly the role of each organizations in the implementation of the Marine Spatial Planning which clearly identifies the economic activities in the marine system”.
In his remark, Prince David Omaghomi, Trustee Eco Restoration Foundation, while speaking on the significance of World Ocean Day said the event is celebrated annually on June 8 to raise awareness about the importance of the ocean said “it is because people are sea-blind, they cannot see the ocean enough to appreciate and manage it so they end up polluting the ocean by dumping all sorts of wastes in it. It is important to sensitize the people to do better.
“There is need for all hands to be on deck, there is need for inter agency and inter goverbmental collaboration since government has different agencies with different mandates and sometimes they are at loggerheads with each other, the one that have the resources do not have the data and vice versa, even the one that have both do not have enforcement so they all need to collaborate and be of better benefit to the entire nation” Prince Omaghomi submitted.
Akanbi Williams, Director, International Ocean Institute (IOI) Nigeria Centre, in his remark noted that the ocean which covers 71% of the planet’s surface also plays a crucial role in sustaining life on earth.
According to him: “The ocean regulates our climate, provide oxygen and it is a vital source of food and livelihood for billions of people. However, our oceans face unprecedented threats from pollution, overfishing and climate change.
“To awaken new depths we must first awaken to the reality of these challenges, we need to educate ourselves about the ocean’s significance and the perils it faces” he noted.
On his part, Sule Abiodun, the Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) noted that the collaboration and partnership between NIOMR and IOI-Nigeria have fostered a strong and productive relationships in various ways.
Represented by Dr. Patience Obatola, Director of Research and Fisheries Resources said “Our shared mandate in ocean matters have enable us to advance ocean research, promote sustainable practices and influence policies that protect our marine environment. Together, we have made a significant strides in understanding and conserving our ocean ecosystems and our partnership will continue to yield positive outcomes for the future” he maintained.
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