Lagos State Government has urged youths to take active roles in protecting the ocean and coastal environment.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Mobalaji Gaji, gave the charge yesterday during the opening of the 2026 Young Leaders for Sustainable Environment Programme (YLSEP) in Lagos, with the theme: “Ocean Heroes, Guardians of the Blue,” which was organised by Eko EnviroTalk.

Gaji said that Lagos Lagoon, creeks, wetlands and Atlantic shoreline were critical infrastructure for the state’s economy, food systems and climate resilience.

He, however, identified plastic pollution, blocked waterways, mangrove destruction, coastal erosion and climate change as major threats to the state’s coastal ecosystems, saying: “Government policies alone will not save our ocean and our coast. Policy determines direction; it is people, informed, motivated and organised people that determine whether that direction is actually followed.”

The permanent secretary said the state government had responded to environmental pressures through climate action, adaptation and resilience measures, waste management and environmental restoration.

He said the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency and Lagos State Waterways Authority were at the forefront of those efforts.

Gaji said young people were not merely beneficiaries of a liveable future but active participants in protecting it.

He encouraged participants to see the programme as the beginning of a lifelong role and become advocates in their schools, communities and environmental institutions.

According to him, the ministry was open to youths interested in understanding environmental governance and contributing ideas towards improving environmental management in the state.

He urged participants to use their digital skills and social media platforms to promote environmental awareness and influence positive behavioural change.

Gaji commended Eko EnviroTalk and its partners, Gracefield Island and the International Ocean Institute (IOI) Nigeria Centre, for investing in youth environmental education.

Earlier, Convener of Eko EnviroTalk, Lasisi Adedoyin, said the programme was founded on the belief that young people could drive meaningful environmental change.

Lasisi, who welcomed representatives of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Gracefield Island, IOI Nigeria Centre and other programme partners, said the theme was particularly relevant to Lagos State, given the pressure on its lagoons, coastlines, creeks and seas from plastic pollution and other environmental threats.

“Our lagoons, coastlines, creeks and seas are under pressure as never before,” he said.

Lasisi said plastic bottles and waste were polluting waterways and threatening marine life, adding that the ocean should not be treated as a dumping ground.

He said the ocean represented life and the future of communities, stressing the need for collective action to protect it.

Also speaking, Programme Manager, Eko EnviroTalk, Wande Seriki, said the programme was designed as an immersive environmental education and leadership initiative.

Seriki said the initiative would help young people learn, explore, connect and develop solutions to environmental challenges.

Representative of Gracefield Island/project sponsor, Oreluwa Babajide, lauded the Eko-Envirotalk for the initiative to educate, inspire, and empower young Nigerians to become champions of environmental sustainability.

She said that for a coastal nation like Nigeria, the health of the ocean and coastal ecosystem is inseparable from the environmental, social, marine, and coastal biodiversity, as the ecosystem provides natural ground for fisheries, protects the coastline, stores carbon, and sustains the livelihood of millions of people.

On his part, a facilitator from the International Ocean Institute, Nigeria Centre, Akanbi Williams, said that the future of sustainable ocean governance would depend greatly on the choices and actions of today’s young people.

He, therefore, encouraged the participants to take what they would learn from the programme beyond the camp, share knowledge with families, schools, and communities, as well as reduce waste, respect marine life, protect coastal habitat, and encourage others to make sustainable choices.