Coastal Challenges and the Challenges of Coastal Education in Nigeria

Ifeyinwa Christabel Okeke

Conek International Limited, Lagos (NG)

Nigeria has a coastline of about 850km, which stretches from Lagos in the west to the Bakassi Peninsular in the southeast. The Nigerian coastal zone is inundated with a lot of environmental and ecological problems. Owing to the constant, unguided interplay of both cultural and natural forces in the coastal strip, this zone is often prone to environmental degradation. Nigeria's coastline is being challenged and threatened by some physical problems such as coastal erosion, industrial pollution, ocean water intrusion, heated (thermal) waters, habitat loss, marine/beach debris, oil spills, global climate change, overfishing, loss of biological diversity, invasion by non indigenous/nuisance species, flooding, solid waste, and so on. These coastal problems are caused by some natural forces, but more by the influx of people and increasing intensity and indiscriminate execution of socio-economic activities in the coastal areas of the country.

Managing the coastal zone requires an integrated approach. Education should form a major component of that integrated approach. Unfortunately, however, coastal managers hardly realize or often neglect education as a formidable tool for coastal management. This has often resulted in the unscrupulous use of coastal resources and the formulation of unguided and ineffective coastal management policies. Education is a process of developing a group or an individual, mentally or morally especially by insruction. It involves creating awareness about a particular issue which one wants a group of people to know of. It is a means of sensitizing an individual or a group of people towards the acquisition of specific values, attitudes, skills and knowledge. Our lives impact the coast, no matter where we live, and the best way to protect the coastal lands is to learn about them. Coastal education is very crucial to understanding and tackling coastal problems. Coastal education should involve the integration of both formal and informal education as well as research-based approach to monitor and solve coastal related problems. The essence of coastal education should be to equip scientists, engineers, managers, teachers, ordinary citizens and all stakeholders in coastal management, with necessary public information on coastal and marine issues.

This paper therefore highlights some of the major problems currently threatening the coastal zone of Nigeria and factors responsible for the identified problems. The paper equally discusses the importance of education (both formal and informal) as a strategic tool for coastal zone management. Some potential bottlenecks to effective coastal education are identified and possible solutions are proffered. Importantly, the paper presents a framework for effective and integrated coastal education and awareness.