Nigeria stands a great chance to benefit substantially from the ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty formally titled the “Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” hence its participation in the negotiations since 2002 up until June 16, 2023, before its adoption.
Emeritus Prof. Babajide Alo, Nigeria’s lead negotiator for the BBNJ, who made this known while delivering a lecture in Lagos on Wednesday, June 11, during the 2025 World Oceans Day celebrations organised by the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and International Ocean Institute-Nigeria Centre (IOI-Nigeria), said: “Right now, we are benefiting from our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is where our most oil and gas reserves are named after. But we do know scientifically that, beyond those areas, there’s even more oil and gas than what we have within our national control. So, if this treaty comes into place, then it gives us access, officially and legally to those areas that are vast.”
In a lecture titled: “Wonders Without Borders: Sustaining the Ocean Through Global Agreements”, the Emeritus Professor noted: “BBNJ Treaty sometimes called the High Seas Treaty in the sense that the oceans cover 70% of the world. And so far, historically, we have control over 220 nautical shorelines. That’s where we can create, equally, as a size for us. But that only covers like 25% of the 70% of the oceans, but right now, the world has dovetailed into considering the remainder portions of the high seas of the oceans.
“The oceans, as we know, is the sustainer of human life. And those areas have been uncontrolled, what we call the high seas. The high seas are those areas beyond national jurisdiction which are those areas within 220 nautical miles of our shoreline. Now, we are now thinking of those vast areas that are beyond our national jurisdiction.
“Not only that, but we also know that those areas are loaded with diverse biological diversity, plants and animals of all types, which right now we cannot have access to. We do not have the technical capacity, but we do not have the legal authority to go in there. Lots and lots of pharmaceuticals, for example, medicaments and all that, come from marine genetic resources from those areas.
“Right now, we do not have access to it. We need to have the capacity to access those areas. Because right now, we don’t have the capacity. We do not have the ships that can get to those areas. We don’t even have the scientific capability to access the marine genetic resources. Once this treaty comes into place, Nigeria and other countries becomes a beneficiary of some of these treaties.”
Prof. Alo, who admitted that currently the BBNJ Treaty is yet to be ratified, is hopeful that it will soon be ratified by the rest of the world and therefore, it will become an instrument which every nation of the world will benefit from.
“The BBNJ Treaty documents just got into place in 2020, Nigeria signed it in 2024. The next step now is to have Nigeria ratify that treaty and, good enough, Nigeria’s leadership has found value in ratifying it, so work has started. Once ratified, we can confirm that both in the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Economy have all started working on getting Nigeria to ratify. We’re even hoping to certainly achieve that before the end of the year,” he submitted.
Dr. Taiwo Adewole, National Country Coordinator of Eco-Cyclo Plastics, who spoke on Plastic Pollution: Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) and Circular Economy, talked about every party being responsible for every plastics that is being produced.
He said: “Producers of such materials must take a role, it’s not the government or the consumer alone, everybody must have a role to play in ensuring that those plastics does not end up in the ocean.”
According to him, “we have about 5 billion bottles being produced annually and, out of these, only 30% has been collected, which means the remaining 70%, if they are not in the ocean, they are blocking the drainage, they are in the dumpsites and landfills. So that is why the extended producer responsibility, making it mandatory for every producer, make sure you cover back those plastic.”
In his goodwill message, Dr. Roland D. Kayanja, the Director, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC-Abuja), while congratulating NIOMR and IOI-Nigeria for setting a day aside to mark the event, said: “As we commemorate Oceans Day 2025, the ocean is facing a crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, which threatens marine ecosystems, economies, human health and communities around the world, there is need for urgent and transformative action to protect and restore ocean health, which is a very important component of our Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
According to him, “the Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 14, which addresses the issue of life underwater to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. And under that goal, all stakeholders must strive to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution, to manage and protect marine ecosystems, to minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, to regulate fishing and avoid overfishing, to conserve at least 10% the coastal marine area, to implement the international law and enhance sustainable use and conservation of the oceans, and also to increase scientific knowledge and develop research capacity to improve ocean health.”
In her remarks, Dr Antonella Vassallo from IOI-Malta Headquarters, represented by Dr. Patience Obatola, Director NIOMR, stated that the lecture titled “Wonders Without Borders Sustaining the Ocean through Global Agreement” is tied to human-natural biodiversity in shaping the new ocean system with the end-game agreement.
She said the legal binding international agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. As a coastal city, Nigeria must continue to lead and engage in global frameworks that protect the high seas and ensure equitable access to their resources.
“Coincidentally, there is an ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nile, France where many issues related to the ocean are being discussed at the global level” she stressed.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Akanbi Williams, Director, IOI-Nigeria, opined that the 2025 World Ocean’s Day reminds us that the ocean power systems in general are excellent, and it’s not just a source of living and inspiration, but a life support system that sustains us all. From food and livelihoods to climate revolution and biodiversity, the ocean of capabilities is survival, yet it faces mounting threats that demand urgent and united action.
The event is also part of a broader effort to raise awareness of the ongoing National Ocean and United Nations Ocean Conference taking place in Nice-France.
Highpoints of the event was a Cultural Dance Performance from Makoko – a coastal community in Lagos State.
Dignitaries that graced the occasion include Dr Alexander Akhigbe of African Cleanup Initiative, Bolanle Olumekor, Prof. Eugene Ituah, and Dr. Olapoju Oluwabukola, among others.
The 2025 World Ocean Day celebrated with the theme, “Wonders: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” underscores the essential yet fragile relationship between humanity and the ocean.
By Ajibola Adedoye