WORLD OCEANS DAY: LAWMA, NIOMA, RESWAYE, MAINSTREET CAPITAL PARTNER LEKAN BAKARE FOUNDATION TO PROTECT THE OCEAN

WORLD OCEANS DAY: LAWMA, NIOMA, RESWAYE, MAINSTREET CAPITAL PARTNER LEKAN BAKARE FOUNDATION TO PROTECT THE OCEAN 

WORLD OCEANS DAY: LAWMA, NIOMA, RESWAYE, MAINSTREET CAPITAL PARTNER LEKAN BAKARE FOUNDATION TO PROTECT THE OCEAN 

By Abayomi Elias

On the 8th of June 2023, the day United Nations set aside to commemorate World Oceans day so that all and sundry can understand and learn about the Ocean, stakeholders like LAWMA, NIOMA, RESWAYE, Mainstreet Capital partnered Lekan Bakare Foundation through the EU 2023 All Atlantic Ocean Sustainable and Resilience Aquaculture Program project to sensitise students towards becoming great ambassadors of the Ocean. 

Newsconnect gathered from the event that when plastics are not recycled or disposed properly, the plastic can get into the Ocean, kills the life under water. When they injest plastics, it suffocates them and kill them. 

By so doing, we keep loosing so many animals and lives under water like sea turtle, whales, etc. 

In an interview with the founder of Lekan Bakare Foundation, Mr Lekan himself highlighted the significance of the event and actions towards protecting marine lives. 

In his words, he said;

"The UN has set aside today to celebrate World Oceans day such that everyone can understand and learn about the Ocean. To understand and learn about what we are doing that is not good to the Ocean and to also learn ehat we need to do to protect the Ocean and protect ourselves.

"We breathe Oxygen, the Ocean gives Oxygen. In protecting the Ocean,  we should stop illegal waste dumping into the Ocean, we don't mess around the ocean, we should dispose properly.

"Illegal fishing activities should stop. We should protect our marine lives. We intend to use the media to get the message to those who are not here. 

Going forward, Lekan Bakare said the foundation intends to use media advocacy to reorientate fish farmers 'abusing' the ocean and several steps had also been taken to engage stakeholders in getting a lasting solutions to the menace to the Ocean. 

"We have written to fish farmers and a lot of stakeholders, we have different programs, different events is still coming up. Where we are going to sit with more and more of the stakeholders. For us the best way we can change things is to catch them young. We focus on the younger generation, the youths. Let us start changing their attitude. We the stakeholders will all still come together and figure out a way forward. We have to learn how to dispose waste propely, we have to learn how to recycle, the oil waste spillage, it is attitudinal, we have to stop it". Lekan said. 

One of the Speakers who spoke at the event MartinsFisher, a fish farmer cum activist in an interview with Newsconnect correspondence among other things, spoke about the standard practice that unprofessional fish farmers ignore thereby polluting the water.

"Just as hunters know where to hunt, the same way professional fishermen know where to get their 'catch'. 

"Some places are spooning ground for different species of fish. A gravid fish or pregnant fish stay in a particular place in the water, when a fishermen goes there, he has intruded and obviously he will capture gravid fish. 

"Capturing them will reduce the numbers of fishes that are supposed to multiply because they had been harvested". He said

In his advise on how to do it right, he said:

"There is a policy that no fisherman is allowed to use 75 millimeters net size for fishing. Now people use mosquito nets just to harvest everything. That practice should be abolished. 

"Some still use obnoxious method particularly pouring chemical into a particular portion of the water just to take everything in that area. That practice should also stop. 

"There should be a regulation on fishing. Since we are not stocking, when we keep fishing, the fishes get reduced somehow. 

"Some countries like Togo, Mali, Ghana come and fish in our economic exclusive zones without regulations, that should also stop. 

"How can we rescue our Oceans, we need to start planting trees just to ensure everywhere is calm. When the Ocean are given oxygen, we should replicate gesture by giving our carbon dioxide. 

"Advocacy should be extended to the riverine areas. They should unlearn and relearn the teaching that fishes come to earth from heaven.

"Their unethical practice can deplete the numbers of fishes in the water if not sensitise. Ask them to evaluate their catch in previous years in comparison to now, here what they have to say to justify shortage in their harvest of fish. He said. 

Newsconnect reports that some of the partners who shared reasons they partnered with Lekan Bakare Foundation include LAWMA, RESWANYE,  Capital Mainstreet among others. 

Apart from cleaning the Ocean in picking out dangerous plastic like the stryofoam, other educative activities were performed to educate and enlighten the participants. 

In an interview with Newsconnect correspondence at the event, Olaniyan Aramide ,the representative of Lagos state waste management authority LAWMA talked about the organisation's collaboration with Lekan Bakare foundation. In her words, she said;

"We are here as a partner of Lekan Bakare Foundation to celebrate 2023 world oceans day. 

"As you know Lawma to be the regulatory agency of waste management in the state, our passion is to make sure our environment is clean. 

"Part of our environment is the coastal line and the Ocean is the main deal for today. We have actions that we had been taking and still taking starting form clean up to advocacy on how to dispose wastes properly. 

"You should not dispose your waste indiscriminately. It is whatever you throw into the ocean, that the ocean brings back. 

"Plastic will block drainage and cause flood. We are here today to remind everyone that the ocean is the gift of the nature to us, and we have to nurture and care for it and we should preserve our planet". She said. 

The representative of Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Agency at the event Dr Olaitan Olajuyigbe in an interview with Newsconnect said;

"We are here to collaborate with Lekan Bakare Foundation. The project that we are doing in NIOMA, we call it All Atlantic Ocean Sustainable and Resilience Aquaculture Program is a project of the EU 2020, we are here to collaborate with them on how to keep the Ocean better, encourage the sustainable use of the ocean, encourage how best to take care of the Ocean.

"We also have what we do on school campaign. We brought our students that are with us on the project to come for the Ocean clean up, which is a way of encouraging people to keep the Ocean safe. 

"Whatever we give to the Ocean is what the Ocean will give back to us. Nowadays the Ocean is polluted with plastics, our intervention is to catch them young and change their attitude towards the Ocean. 

"We teach them to teach their parents on the need for the sustainability of the ocean. So we can all get the best of the resources from the Ocean. 

"There are so many resources in the Ocean, we let them know and when they are more aware of what the Ocean is all about, they will make better plans to take care of it and tell others to do same". She said. 

Doyinsola Ogunye, Founder Recycle the Waste and Youth Empowerment RESWAYE who doubles as the co-founder of Lekan Bakare Foundation talked about the significance of world oceans day. In her remark, she said;

"Today is world oceans day, Lekan Bakare Foundation and its volunteers came out to clean the beach, sensitise people about what plastic is actually doing in the Ocean. 

"How it is Killing our aquatic under water. When plastic is not recycled or disposed properly, the plastic can get into the Ocean, it kills the life under water. Like the sea turtles, whales and threatened. 

"When they injest it, it suffocates them and kill them. This is how we are loosing so many animals, life under water that are being threatened because of our use of plastic on the land. 

"We eat from the Ocean, whatever the animals are also eating, affect us. We are not just saying let us protect the Ocean, we are also saying let us protect human lives as well because we are all inter-related. Lagos is surrounded by Ocean and the Lagoon and there is a very huge need for us to protect it". She said. 

Funbi Majekodunmi who represented Mainstreet Capital said Lekan Bakare has been a long term partner of Mainstreet Capital, they have suitable investment with them  and they are always happy to support the foundation for purposes like this. 

"We are always interested in protecting the environment. Apart from our relationship with our customers, the protection of their business environment is also our priority. From time to time we engage in community development, give back to our community. We hope to build on something very strong. We are always happy to partner with Lekan Bakare Foundation". Funbi said.