“Tarkwa Bay is the recipient of the highest marine dumpsite refuse on earth, with tons of waste flowing through lagoons and drainage systems into the Atlantic, followed by Bonny…”
Apapa, Lagos – July 31, 2025 – Maritime stakeholders have described Nigeria’s lagoons, including Tarkwa Bay and Bonny, as the most polluted marine sites globally, warning that the country’s neglect of its inland waterways is crippling the blue economy.
Speaking at an Executive Course on the Blue Economy for media professionals in Lagos on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Francis Dan Akpan (retd), Chairman, Board of Trustees, Maritime Security Practitioners Association of Nigeria, criticized the government’s failure to address severe water pollution.
“Tarkwa Bay is the recipient of the highest marine dumpsite refuse on earth,” Akpan said. “Tons of waste flow through our lagoons into the Atlantic. Bonny comes second.”
He added that while countries like France operate dozens of ferries on rivers like the Seine, Nigeria’s once-thriving ferry routes have vanished due to pollution and abandonment.
The event, organized by the Nigerian Navy’s International Maritime Institute, brought together maritime experts and journalists to highlight the economic dangers of “sea blindness.”
Akpan warned that unless Nigeria implements structured strategies to clean and utilize its waterways, it risks forfeiting significant economic opportunities.