Environment
Group Seeks International Collaboration To Reduce Plastic Wastes
A civil society organisation, Africa Global Development for Positive Change Initiative (ADI) has called for international collaborations to reduce plastic wastes in the ocean.
The International President of the organisation, Prince Dan Mbachi said this in an interview with The Tide during a clean shore exercise at Eagle Island Beach, Port Harcourt as part of activities to mark the 2019 World Ocean Day celebration in Port Harcourt.
The clean shore exercise was organised by the organization in collaboration with Youth Love Egypt Foundation. Mbachi said that the increasing numbers of plastic wastes in the ocean has constituted a threat to the survival of living organisations in the water.
He particularly stressed the need for the three tier governments in the country to come up with tough policies that will check the indiscriminate throwing of plastic wastes into the rivers.
The Activist also called for government policies that will sanction plastic producing companies, in the country.
“We have to clean up the ocean, some people just throw plastic wastes into the ocean without knowing the dangers involved. We have to take step to recover all the plastic wastes in the oceans, he said.
According to him, uncontrolled use of plastics had done a lot of harm to the environment, stressing that time has come to stop the bad practice with the view to saving both the environment, human and a aquatic lives.
The ADI international President further said that his organisation in collaboration with other sister organizations and volunteers have been moving from beach to beach to pick plastic materials that constitute danger to the environment, noting the materials are assembled and sent to where they cannot get back to the river or ocean.
Also speaking, the founder of Youth Love Egypt Foundation, Mr. Ahmed Fathy, said that three tons of plastic wastes were collated as part of the clean shore campaign.
He said that the clean shore campaign was initiated by the Foundation to reduce the number of plastic wastes in North and West African countries.
The Egyptian also stressed the need for government in the North and West African sub regions to work together towards the reduction of plastics wastes in their water ways.
World Ocean Day is celebrated 8th June, every year across the world.
The theme for this years celebration was “Our Planet Ocean. Together we have the power to protect them”.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.
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