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World Ocean Day: Stakeholders, schools on clean-up exercise at Usman Dam

Stakeholders in engineering sector, Abuja chapter, in collaboration with some schools in the FCT on Wednesday commenced a clean-up exercise at Usman Dam, in Bwarri Area Council Abuja, to ensure a healthy environment.

Mrs Linda Elesa, Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers (NIEE), Abuja Chapter, who supervised the exercise in Abuja, said that the effort was to ensure a safe environment in the FCT.

Elesa said that the purpose of the clean-up exercise was to commemorate World Ocean Day (WOD), with a theme, “Revilisation: Collective Action for the Ocean’’.

She said that the Nigeria Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE), collaborated with the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), FCT Water Board, schools and NIEE, to commemorate the WOD.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the day is a year framed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the UN Ocean Conference, celebrates annually every June 8.

The day reminds everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life.

According to her, oceans are the lungs of our planet and a major source of food, medicine and a critical part of the biosphere.

“I feel very excited that this exercise was done because it is one of the key action points that is slated for the programme ocean clean-up.

“We went to the water body that are available and the FCT water board obliged us the lower Usman Dam.

“We discovered a lot of plastic bottles around the water body brought by wind and other weather forces.

“The plastics pollute the water when they drop into the water. They might not go in directly into our treatment plant.

“But they can flow into the stream and from the stream it will flow into the oceans, thereby causing ocean pollution at the end of the day.

The chairman advised the residents to desist from the habit of dumping waste into the water body, adding that such can cause diseases, thereby, leading to death and other threats to the environment.

She urged the residents to take deliberate action to prevent pollution that goes into water body and other precautions to keep the environment healthy.

The Acting General Manager, FCT Water Board, Mrs Olanike Korede-Ajanaku, appreciated the commitment of the stakeholders, adding that the efforts would generate new ideas and strategies for improving biodiversity and economic potentials that oceans sustain.

Korede-Ajanaku, who was represented by Dr Victoria Anyakora, Assistant Director, Technical Cooperation and Partnership, FCT water board, said that the exercise is a good step as such would sustained the environment.

She said that the WOD provides an opportunity to celebrate the importance of ocean and how best to interact with it in a sustainable manner.

“This year`s theme is apt at this moment of prevalent global issues on water and its related human and environmental challenges.

“FCT water board is very pleased with this unflinching partnership and I urge that the collaborative efforts be sustained for improved socio-economic development in the country.

Chairman NSE, Dr Halimat Adediran, represented by Mr Mayowa Dalero, General Secretary, NSE, said that the aim of the celebration was to understand the value and the importance of nature.

“It is important for us to preach the better way to take care of our environment and nature but when we refuse to do that, the impact will get back to us,’’ he said.

Chairman, NIWE, Abuja Chapter, Douglas Oloton, said that it is time to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Therefore, we need urgent collective action to revitalise the ocean.

“Collective effort should be made to realise the impact of human action which is the purpose of the WOD.

“So, we need to inform the public of the effect of human actions on the ocean, which is what we are doing now,’’ he said.

Master David Chijiogbu, SS 2 student of Government Day Secondary School Dutse Alhaji, who spoke on behalf of other schools said that the progamme has thought him a better way to keep the environment clean.

“The exercise has really helped us to know more about hygiene and process to keep our health and environment clean, we appreciate the stakeholders who organised the programme,’’ he said.

(NAN)

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