Government and private sector chart progress at Lagos Waste Forum

The Statewide Waste and Environmental Education (SWEEP) Foundation hosted the 3rd edition of the Lagos Waste Forum at the University of Lagos in partnership with Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Coca-Cola Nigeria with the aim of capitalizing on opportunities in the public and private waste management industries while catalyzing collective solutions to the country’s waste management problems

The Lagos Waste Forum, a high-level citizen forum on waste reduction, was launched in 2020 as a flagship program of the Statewide Waste and Environmental Education (SWEEP) Foundation.

The Director of the Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development (CESSED) at Lagos State University, Prof. Kafeelah Yusuf, who represented the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, expressed his concerns about the country’s waste management.

“Our country, like many other developing countries around the world, faces challenges and deficiencies in waste management and control, which are particularly acute in Lagos State,” she said. declared.

“Waste management efforts to maintain a clean and healthy environment have not produced the expected results. Floods and epidemics are caused by the dumping of solid waste in various places. Therefore, it is more crucial than ever to ensure the recycling of solid waste.

“The government launched the Clean Lagos initiative a few years ago, which resulted in the overhaul of the state’s solid waste management system by constructing new landfills, transfer loading stations and recovery facilities. materials statewide.”

“We need to be able to challenge the people and communities who produce the majority of the waste to exercise greater responsibility in disposing of their waste while exploring funding strategies to address the issues. We must be aware that we are all recipients of personal deviations and that the waste generated must be disposed of through the appropriate waste management channels. I also suggest that we follow the lead of nations that have taken the recycling approach to waste management,” Professor Yusuf said.

The forum, themed “Financing for Sustainable Recyclable Waste Management,” facilitated discussions on financing waste management entrepreneurs.

The Chair of the Lagos Waste Forum, Ambassador Phillips Obuesi, in his welcome remarks, described the forum as a dedicated platform harnessing public and private waste management opportunities to boost sustainable megacities and the economy. urban circular.

According to Amb. Obuesi, the forum is presented as an international conference, awards and exhibition of contemporary waste management solutions. He invited the audience to seize the opportunity of the forum to glean opportunities for participation in the waste and recycling sector.

In his presentation, Ola Oresanya, Special Adviser for Environment to the Governor of Ogun State, highlighted the significant challenges facing the Nigerian recycling sector and identified funding as a critical requirement to advance the recycling sector. economic aspect of the industry.

He said that due to bad luck, Nigeria was unable to access funding from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and that institutional frameworks need to be put in place before states can do so.

Oresanya went on to say that other factors that contribute to the country’s underperformance in waste management include the lack of implementation of national waste management policies and low remuneration of secondary industry players. recycling.

The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who is also the Grand Matron of the SWEEP Foundation, hailed the initiative of the SWEEP Foundation.

She said, “I commend the SWEEP team for their activities in Surulere, Coker/Aguda and ItireI-kate Local Council Development Areas which is still Lagos Central under Ikeja District.

“I also look forward to your expansion into other communities to ensure that collectors in communities like Ajegunle who need logistics and facilities will have access to you as you continue to advocate for behavior change in everything the state.”

Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, spoke at the event and explained that, in light of the data analyzed, Nigeria has the potential to become a hotspot recycling hub in West Africa.

“The recycling industry in Nigeria is lucrative but underutilized. To ensure that players at the bottom of the value chain are aware of and have access to the potential value, the nation must foster entrepreneurship within this industry.

“The Coca-Cola Company has an ambitious goal of a ‘world without waste’ and operates under Extended Producer Responsibility to support the recycling value chain to sustain its livelihood and attract foreign direct investment. Coca-Cola will continue to take a leadership role with other industry partners in the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) to drive the circular economy in Nigeria. Additionally, Coca-Cola has invested in a number of recycling initiatives, empowerment programs and advocacy projects to bring about the required behavior change,” she said.

The Waste in the City initiative, implemented by the SWEEP Foundation, is an example of one of the Coca-Cola system investments. The community-driven project to unclog blocked drains and channels by extracting PET bottles, cans and other plastic waste, recycling them through accredited buyers and providing economic empowerment for young people and community women was recognized for her commitment to keeping Nigeria alive. Surulere Community without PET waste.

Also present at the forum were His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, ably represented by the Sooko Omoniyi of the Kingdom of Ife, Dr Kemade Elugbaju; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, Dr. Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen; Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Lucian Obinna Chukwu; Chief Executive Officer, Sterling One Foundation, Peju Ibekwe; The Managing Director of Macpresse West Africa Limited, Mr. Idowu Salawu and the representative of the Lagos State Civil Servant Spouses Committee, Omolara Eniayewun, alongside other dignitaries.

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The PDP spokesperson recalled how the opposition party had repeatedly warned that the APC government had ceded sovereignty over much of our country to terrorists, “many of whom were imported into our country by the APC”.

He further stated, “According to the video, in a brazen manner, terrorists as non-state actors boldly showed their faces, bragging, admitting and confirming their participation in the Kuje prison breakout, some of whom were former detainees who were either imprisoned or incarcerated. awaiting trial for their previous act of terrorism against our country.

“Nigerians can also recall the admissions of Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the APC government knows the plans and whereabouts of the terrorists but failed to act.

According to Ologunagba, around 18,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022 “as the criminals continue to be emboldened by the failures and obvious complicity of the APC and to which the PDP had always drawn attention” .

“It’s not politics; it’s about humanity and leadership, which is sadly and sadly lacking in our country right now,” he said.

The PDP added that it is appalled by “the lame response of the seemingly helpless, distraught and deflated Buhari presidency, in which it told a dying nation that President Buhari” has done everything and even more than what he was expected as Commander-in-Chief by way of sustaining the morale, materiel and equipment of the military…”

“This is a direct admission of incapacity and failure by the Buhari presidency and the APC. At such a time, in other climates, the president directly leads the charge and takes drastic measures to save and protect its citizens.

“In times of adversity, the president transforms himself into a chief comforter to give hope and help to the citizens. Painfully, Nigeria does not have a president who cares and can present himself as the chief comforter of the people.

“It has now become very imperative for Nigerians to take notice and realize that the only solution to this unfortunate situation is to hold the APC government accountable. We must unite as people regardless of our political, ethnic and nuns to resist the fascist tendencies of the APC administration.

Ologunagba called for an urgent meeting of the National Council of State to advise on the way forward in the face of worsening insecurity in the country.

“Our nation must not fall. The resilient Nigerian spirit and positive attitude must be reignited by all to convince the President to immediately and without further delay accede to the request of the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to convene an extraordinary session of the National Assembly. Council of State to find a lasting solution since the president is, by his own admission, at the end of his tether,” the PDP spokesman said.

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