NIMASA Holds Two Day Capacity Building Training On Environmental Awareness & Remediation

NIMASA Holds Two Day Capacity Building Training On Environmental Awareness & Remediation 

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) organized a two-day Environmental Awareness Remediation Training workshop in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on the 29th-30th August, 2019. The workshop aimed at training officers of the Agency, stakeholders and host communities on the impact of pollution on the Marine Eco System, the need for prevention and remediation of already impacted areas within the Marine environment.


The Director General, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside was highly commended for organizing this laudable workshop training for its stakeholders and staff. This, according to the Head of Marine Environmental Management (MEM) ,Dr.(Mrs) F.C. Mogo is in furtherance to achieving core mandates of the Agency which is to sustain a safe, secure shipping, cleaner ocean and enhanced Maritime capacity, as the Nigerian Maritime Administrator.

Resource persons at the event, as well as participants alike established that humans, particularly in the developing world, were responsible for about 90% pollution and degradation of Marine environmental eco system through unhealthy, anti-environmental activities and practices, such as indescriminate dumping of refuse waste, plastic bottles, dredging activities, dumping of industrial waste, oil spillages, illegal oil refinning (Kpom Fire), indecriminate disposal of waste by ships and badges, to mention but a few.

It however stressed the need for members of the society to become more intentional in averting activities and sharp practices that is capable of causing pollution of the environment which comes with diverse effects on both the environment and and it's inhabitants.

According to her, "We must strive to ensure a balance on how to extract and manage resources in our environment, as well as preservation and conservation of our natural resources for continual healthy living"

The climax of the event was the practical section, wherein participants were thought how to use some basic tools of a remediation process by an instructor/resource personnel. The training identified pollutants to the Marine eco system, and it's remediation processes on the occasion of any Identified pollution.

The event which was also geared towards gathering and information sharing among regulatory Agencies in the country, in a bid to ensure pollution free environment was well attended by members of staff and stakeholders of NIMASA from the Eastern Zone, officials of the Nigerian Custom Service, Rivers State Command, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), host communities among others.

Some of the participants who spoke, shortly after the event expressed their joy over the new knowledge acquired particularly on the issue of environmental pollution and remediation processes. They also commended NIMASA for leading the stage and ensuring full implementation of all International regulatory laws which has made the Nigerian Maritime Sector very vibrant and productive through compliance with global statutory Maritime environmental laws and regulations while advocating for stiffer measures in reducing environmental pollutions given its increasing adverse effects on the Maritime Eco system.

~ Bright Sodienye Peterside