N/Delta Basin Devt. Authority inaugurates waterways sanitation corps in Bayelsa
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, on Tuesday inaugurated a Waterways Sanitation Corps to tackle pollution in the Niger Delta.
Amgbare inaugurated the corps in Yenagoa as part of activities marking the 2026 World Rivers Day, with the theme, “No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life.”
The event featured a river clean-up exercise at Oxbow Lake, Swali, involving volunteers drawn from riverine communities across Bayelsa.
Amgbare said the initiative was designed to promote community participation in protecting rivers and waterways, stressing that a sustainable blue economy depended on clean rivers.
He described rivers as essential to the identity, livelihoods and economic activities of Niger Delta residents, particularly fishing communities.
“From the confluence of the Niger and Benue at Lokoja to the creeks of Bayelsa, our rivers are not just waterways; they are our highways, our markets, our farms, our identity,” he said.
The NDBDA managing director identified plastic pollution, crude oil spills, open defecation, illegal dumping, deforestation and water hyacinth invasion as major threats to the region’s waterways.
He said the region’s mangroves played critical roles in water filtration, carbon storage and sustaining fisheries, adding that their degradation threatened aquatic resources and livelihoods.
According to him, the blue economy begins with the protection of forests, mangroves, rivers and other aquatic ecosystems.
Amgbare said the Bayelsa chapter of the Waterways Sanitation Corps was established as a community-based, youth-driven and women-inclusive volunteer initiative under the authority’s water resources management mandate.
He said about 100 pioneer members were inaugurated as eco-guards and river guardians to promote environmental sanitation and monitor pollution across the state’s waterways.
Their responsibilities include removing floating plastics and debris, controlling water hyacinth, discouraging indiscriminate dumping, sensitising waterfront communities and planting mangroves along degraded riverbanks.
The corps will also collect information on pollution hotspots, water quality and flood risks, while promoting recycling and the conversion of organic waste into compost and fish feed.
Amgbare called on state governments to introduce community river stewardship bye-laws and traditional rulers to designate monthly days for preventing waste disposal in rivers.
He also urged oil, gas and shipping companies to support the initiative through their corporate social responsibility programmes, while encouraging youths to take ownership of environmental protection.
The managing director said the initiative aligned with the International Maritime Organisation’s 2026–2027 World Maritime Day theme, “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence.”
He said the authority was committed to translating environmental policies into practical community-based action.
Earlier, Mr Peace Ebbah, Director of Hydrology and Head of Department, NDBDA, emphadised the need to address uncoordinated human activities threatening marine resources and community livelihoods.
Ebbah said the authority was taking steps to mitigate climate change impacts through public reorientation and policy responses.
Also speaking, Dr Piriye Kiyaramo, Special Assistant to the NDBDA managing director on Blue Economy and Convener of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable, urged corporate organisations and individuals to support the corps.
Odede Dinikpete Tina, Chairman of the Bayelsa chapter of the Association of Coastal and Waterways Communities of Nigeria, said the inauguration marked a milestone in the association’s environmental protection efforts.
She said the initiative placed greater responsibility on members to protect waterways and safeguard coastal communities.
“This inauguration is not just an honour; it is a call to greater responsibility and service to our people and our environment,” she said.
