By Innocent Onoh
As the world marks World Ocean Day 2025, environmental experts in Nigeria are calling for urgent, coordinated action to combat the growing menace of plastic pollution threatening the nation’s waterways, coastal communities, and marine biodiversity.
With this year’s global theme, “Wonders: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” the International Ocean Institute – Nigeria Center (IOI-Nigeria), in partnership with the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and the United Nations Information Center (UNIC), Abuja, is using the occasion to rally individuals, organizations, and all levels of government to confront the plastic crisis head-on.
Though officially commemorated globally on June 8, Nigeria’s major event will take place on Tuesday, June 11, 2025, due to the original date falling on a weekend.
Speaking ahead of the event, Director of IOI-Nigeria, Akanbi Williams, stressed the urgent need for nationwide collaboration in addressing plastic pollution, which he described as a “ticking time bomb” for Nigeria’s marine ecosystems and public health.
“Our oceans are choking on plastic. From blocked urban drainage systems to devastated marine life, the evidence is all around us,” Williams said. “We must act now — collectively — to protect our oceans and secure the future of our coastal communities.”
A major highlight of the upcoming World Ocean Day event is a public lecture titled “Wonders Without Borders: Sustaining the Ocean Through Global Agreements,” which will spotlight Nigeria’s role in the newly adopted BBNJ Treaty — the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
This landmark international agreement seeks to fill longstanding governance gaps in the high seas, which cover nearly half the planet yet remain poorly protected. Nigeria’s active participation in the negotiations and its future role in implementation signal a bold step toward global ocean governance, marine research advancement, and regional cooperation across West Africa.
Alongside discussions on international treaties, the 2025 event will place a strong focus on plastic waste reduction and sustainable practices, with two short expert-led talks:
“Plastic Pollution: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Circular Economy”
“The Power of Collaboration in Achieving Sustainability Solutions to Plastic Pollution”
According to Williams, speakers are expected to outline practical solutions such as community-based recycling, policy enforcement on producer responsibility, and the adoption of circular economy principles.
“Extended Producer Responsibility isn’t just a buzzword,” noted one of the organizers. “It’s a policy tool we must take seriously to hold producers accountable and drive innovation away from single-use plastics.”
The event will also feature an arts and crafts exhibition showcasing creative works made from recycled plastic waste, as well as a traditional dance performance by students from a coastal community — a symbolic celebration of Nigeria’s enduring cultural and economic ties to the ocean.
World Ocean Day 2025 comes as plastic waste continues to flood Nigeria’s rivers, beaches, and urban waterways, endangering marine life and public health. Despite pockets of progress, experts warn that piecemeal efforts are not enough.
The IOI-Nigeria Center is therefore urging policymakers, NGOs, schools, businesses, and ordinary citizens to join a nationwide movement for marine conservation and plastic pollution control.
“This is not just about the ocean — it’s about our survival,” Williams said. “It’s about food security, climate stability, economic resilience, and public health. The time for talk is over. The time for bold, united action is now.”