TheCable

Beach Samaritans, a volunteer-driven initiative to clean public beaches across Nigeria, is set to celebrate its first anniversary.

Founded by Children And The Environment (CATE) and WakaAbout Media in October 2014, the initiative will be celebrating with an exhibition of photographs taken from the public beaches cleaned so far.

Themed ‘Beauty and the Beach’, the anniversary celebration will take place at Freedom Park in Lagos from December 10 through December 14, 2015, featuring awards to sponsors, outstanding volunteers, a bazaar and a commemorative beach cleanup on December 12.

According to a statement signed by Pelu Awofeso, travel journalist and coordinator of the Beach Samaritans, volunteers have cleaned six public beaches in Lagos – Okun Alfa, Tarkwa Bay, Ibeshe Beach, Ilashe Beach, Lekki Town Beach and Regal Seaview Beach – making them neater and healthier for host communities and leisure seekers.

Beach Samaritans cleaning Tarkwa Bay Beach

“Public beaches in Nigeria are dirty, dirty to the point of distaste. And though they are naturally attractive leisure and recreation spots, the human waste that litter the beaches are not just a health hazard to the immediate communities, they also affect the beaches’ potential to generate revenue for all levels of government and allied businesses through big-budget investments,” the group of volunteers said.

“It is ironical that with more than 800km of coastline, no beach in the country ranks among the Top 25 beaches in Africa.

“According to a recent report by the CNN, a leading cause of ocean/beach pollution are non-biodegradable plastics, bottles and metals produced by manufacturers of consumer products.

“Nigeria is one of the worst hit countries worldwide; the earlier we started to clear the trash, the sooner we will make the beaches safer and healthier for the general public.”

Beach Samaritans is a member of Let’s do it World!, Cleanup the World, and Ocean Conservancy, all environment-focused global organisations.