Group Campaigns for Ocean’s Safety

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Concerned about the state of Gulf of Guinea, a group, Global Oceans Hub Africa, has began campaign on the security and safety of world oceans.

Led by the ecological think tank, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), the group held a workshop in Port Harcourt to share knowledge and build capacity of participants for the task of protecting the world’s oceans water bodies.

The workshop exposed the impacts of climate change, particularly with reference to sea level rise and the concomitant loss of coastal lands, infrastructure and communities.

Speaking at the median gathering of the group, the Executive Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, warned against the negative impacts non-inclusive focus on Blue Economy would have on the rights of coastal communities, biodiversity and the socio-economic wellbeing of ocean dependent communities.

He decried the continued polluting activities in the water bodies, including oil wellhead blowouts, burning of oil vessels, gas flaring and other anti-environment activities.

Bassey noted that the oceans are getting warmer and faster than previously expected and called for urgent climate actions predicated on transiting away from dependence on fossil fuels.

He explained that “the Gulf of Guinea is plagued by high level of insecurity and economic activities of dubious value. The region is largely not policed and is thus a zone of plunder with hundreds of thousands of stolen crude oil moving unhindered in the area. The fisheries stock in the gulf is also decimated by pollution from industrial sources as well as by unreported illegal fishing.”

Bassey added that “the global oceans hub is envisioned as a global centre of excellence and a go-to authoritative source for up-to-date information on the state of the oceans with particular focus on socio-economic and policy issues.”

Also speaking, the Vice President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Nengi James, characterised the massive impacts of ocean surge being experienced in the Gulf of Guinea as “oceanification,” which he said is comparable to desertification.

According to him, “oceanification” is compounded by the high levels of pollution, deforestation and the fragmentation of the Niger Delta ecosystems by the activities of oil and gas companies.

James stressed that “with the deforestation going on in the Niger Delta and the loss of mangrove in the river, and the dangers of ocean encroachment on farmland and communities, the shore needs to be protected and the continuous advocacy for the protection and restoration of the mangrove forests will go a long way to preserve the Gulf of Guinea.”

In his presentation, a Professor at the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Fidelis Allen, stressed the need to care and protect the ocean environment.

Allen said: “The governance process has been exclusive of the community and this has caused a negative relationship between man and his environment. Policies usually exclude local community from the roles they can play in protecting the environment.

“For countries in the Gulf of Guinea, oil has been conceptualized as a national security issue, and the slide into oil economy have brought the thinking that ‘without oil the world would end’.

Those who drive the oil economy are oblivious and they sideline the community, which is the victim in all of these.”