PORT HARCOURT – A non-governmental organisation, My Environment My Wealth, has evacuated over 3,000 kilograms of waste from the heavily polluted Akpajo waterfront in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The cleanup exercise, held on June 13 in commemoration of World Oceans Day, targeted plastic waste including water bottles, nylon bags, and other non-biodegradable materials littering the riverbanks.
Speaking during the exercise, the facilitator of the organisation, Wonne Afronelly, urged coastal communities across the Niger Delta to adopt sustainable waste management practices. She emphasized the need for proper sorting and disposal of waste rather than indiscriminate dumping into water bodies. 
“Our campaign for a cleaner environment has endured for over 15 years. I encourage residents to sustain this advocacy and help preserve the ocean that has supported our livelihoods in many ways,” she said.
Afronelly, who led a team of volunteers comprising students from the University of Port Harcourt, staff and pupils of the Luther Welfare for Children at Risk Development Centre, Eteo, as well as residents of the Akpajo community, called for stronger government intervention. She urged both federal and state authorities, including relevant agencies, to implement and enforce policies that promote ocean conservation and effective waste management.
The exercise also drew participation from members of the Energy and Maritime Reporters of Nigeria (EMR), who stressed the importance of sustained cleanup efforts to restore environmental sanity and protect the livelihoods of communities dependent on the river.
This year’s World Oceans Day, themed “Reimagine the World You Know: Building a New Relationship with Our Ocean,” was marked at the busy Akpajo waterfront, a key hub for fishing and sand dredging activities in Eleme.
