The Nigerian chapter of African Women in Maritime (WIMA) has said that the future of the world rests on the sustainability of the world’s seas and oceans, even as it beckoned of Africans to preserve aquatic life and keep the marine environment clean and healthy.
As part of efforts to mark this year’s African Day of Seas and Oceans, African Women in Maritime (WIMA) Nigeria visited ferry jetties at Marina to clean up the environment and enlighten commuters on the need to care for the marine environment.
African Day of Seas and Oceans is celebrated by the African Union every 25th of July.
The Nigerian WIMA delegation was led by its Secretary, Mrs. Rollens Macfoy as the group came out in style sweeping and cleaning the Marina jetties.
Stressing the need for cleaner environment, Mrs. Rollens said that the recent celebration of World Environment Day was synonymous to African Union’s (AU) African Day of Seas and Oceans because both activities centred on keeping the environment clean for individuals and the general public.
“It is important to take proper care of debris by putting them in dustbins and sending plastics back to the recycling companies, than to allow them litter the environment especially the seas where they become an impediment to easy navigation for vessels” she said.
According to her, seas and oceans remain a sacrosanct component of the world’s future because a greater percentage of what humans eat, wear and utilize for various activities, are transported via the seas.
She commended AU for the initiative to celebrate African Day of Seas and Oceans every 25th of July, noting that the annual event was crucial to enhancing the level of awareness about the challenges facing African Seas and Oceans.
Meanwhile, she appealed to the public not to litter the streets with plastics and nylons because they go back to the seas, while she admonished canvassed against sea pollution as it kills the marine life.
Earlier, the General Manager of the Lagos Area Office of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Engr. Sambo Miazu had commended the association for its effort to sanitize the nation’s waters.
The NIWA boss who received the delegation was represented by Mrs. Ngozi Okwuoka at the event.
Mrs. Okwuoka was inducted into WIMA Nigeria on the spot after she was overwhelmed by the exploits and objectives of the association.
However, Mrs. Rollens Macfoy lamented that women are still being marginalized in the maritime sector, noting that the essence of WIMA was sensitize the general public that women are upto any task in shipping and other related professions.
“The place of a woman is the place of any man in the maritime sector. If we can have female captains, engineers and other positions onboard vessels, then nothing should stop a woman from taking up other jobs in shipping and maritime related professions” she added.
By Kenneth Jukpor
