NDBDA inaugurates waterways sanitation corps in Bayelsa
The Niger Delta Basin Development Authority has inaugurated a 100-member Waterways Sanitation Corps in Bayelsa State to tackle pollution, protect aquatic ecosystems, and strengthen community participation in environmental protection.
The Managing Director of the authority, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, inaugurated the corps in Yenagoa on Tuesday as part of activities marking the 2026 World Rivers Day.
*NDBDA inaugurates corps to clean Bayelsa waterways
Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Niger Delta Basin Development Authority has inaugurated a 100-member Waterways Sanitation Corps in Bayelsa State to tackle pollution, protect aquatic ecosystems, and strengthen community participation in environmental protection.
The Managing Director of the authority, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, inaugurated the corps in Yenagoa on Tuesday as part of activities marking the 2026 World Rivers Day.
The event, themed “No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life,” also featured a river clean-up exercise at Oxbow Lake, Swali, involving volunteers from riverine communities across the state.
Amgbare said the initiative was designed to make communities active participants in protecting the rivers and waterways on which their livelihoods depend.
He said a sustainable blue economy could not be achieved without clean and healthy waterways, particularly in the Niger Delta, where rivers support fishing, transportation, trade and other economic activities.
“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.
Amgbare identified plastic waste, crude oil spills, open defecation, indiscriminate dumping, deforestation and water hyacinth invasion as major threats to the region’s waterways.
He also highlighted the importance of mangrove forests, which he said helped filter water, store carbon and sustain fisheries, warning that their degradation posed a threat to aquatic resources and the livelihoods of riverine communities.
According to him, protecting forests, mangroves, rivers and other aquatic ecosystems must remain the foundation of efforts to develop the region’s blue economy.
He said the Bayelsa chapter of the Waterways Sanitation Corps was established as a community-based, youth-driven and women-inclusive volunteer initiative under the NDBDA’s water resources management mandate.
The pioneer members, he said, would serve as eco-guards and river guardians, helping to monitor pollution and improve sanitation across the state’s waterways.
Their duties include removing floating plastics and debris, controlling water hyacinth, discouraging indiscriminate waste disposal, educating waterfront communities and supporting mangrove restoration along degraded riverbanks.
The corps will also gather 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-based river stewardship by-laws and urged traditional rulers to designate monthly sanitation days to discourage waste disposal in waterways.
He also appealed to oil, gas and shipping companies to support the initiative through their corporate social responsibility programmes, while urging young people to take ownership of environmental protection.
Amgbare said the initiative was consistent with the International Maritime Organisation’s 2026–2027 World Maritime Day theme, “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence”, stressing that environmental policies must translate into practical action at community level.
Earlier, the Director of Hydrology and Head of Department at the NDBDA, Mr Peace Ebbah, called for urgent action against uncoordinated human activities threatening marine resources and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Ebbah said the authority was also working to mitigate the effects of climate change through public awareness and policy interventions.
The Special Assistant to the NDBDA managing director on Blue Economy and Convener of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable, Dr Piriye Kiyaramo, urged corporate organisations and individuals to support the corps.
The Chairman of the Bayelsa chapter of the Association of Coastal and Waterways Communities of Nigeria, Odede Dinikpete Tina, described the inauguration as an important step in strengthening environmental protection efforts in coastal communities.
She said the initiative had placed greater responsibility on members to protect waterways and safeguard the communities that depend on them.
“This inauguration is not just an honour; it is a call to greater responsibility and service to our people and our environment,” she said.
