The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has engaged the services of a multi-sectoral indigenous environmental company, Parts Central Limited, to tackle the persistent problems of waste pollution across Nigeria’s vast inland waterways through a structured and sustainable approach.
   
The project, initiated during the administration of the immediate past Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji, includes checking indiscriminate dumping of refuse, oil spillage and environmental degradation.
   
The firm is expected to provide strategic oversight and implementation support for a comprehensive clean-up initiative designed to restore the nation’s waterways and enhance their economic potential.
   
According to the NIWA management, the project, which will address the growing environmental challenges, represents a major step towards achieving a cleaner, safer and more investment-friendly inland waterways ecosystem.
   
NIWA said the project will identify major sources of pollution, facilitate systematic waste removal and promote innovative waste-to-wealth solutions capable of creating employment opportunities for communities situated along the waterways.
   
Beyond environmental restoration, NIWA added that the project is expected to improve navigational safety by removing obstacles that hinder the smooth movement of vessels and other watercraft.
   
The initiative also seeks to reposition Nigeria’s inland waterways as attractive destinations for local and foreign investment by promoting environmental sustainability and enhancing the overall efficiency of water transportation.
   
According to the agency, the project is also expected to support the conservation of aquatic resources, strengthen the fisheries value chain and contribute significantly to the realisation of the federal government’s agenda for the marine and blue economy sector.
   
Meanwhile, stakeholders believe that cleaner waterways will stimulate economic activities, encourage tourism, boost commerce and unlock the enormous untapped potential within the nation’s blue economy.
   
Speaking on the forthcoming rollout of the project, the Managing Director, PartCentral, Henry Onifade, assured Nigerians that every aspect of the programme would be professionally executed to deliver lasting results.
   
Noting that the initiative marks a historic intervention in the management of Nigeria’s inland waterways, he reaffirmed the project team’s commitment to ensuring transparency, sustainability and measurable environmental impact.
   
Onifade further called on government agencies, private sector operators, host-communities, environmental groups and all stakeholders within the maritime sector to support the initiative, stressing that collective participation would be crucial to its success.
   
He further expressed confidence that with sustained collaboration, Nigeria would soon witness cleaner, safer and more productive inland waterways, thereby setting a new benchmark for environmental stewardship and waterway management in the country.