Olusola Adekoya , a foremost environmentalist, is the President Lagos Landscapers Association and Chief Executive Officer of Shodex Gardens, a tourist centre in Anthony, Lagos. He speaks with DAMOLA KOLA-DARE on the numerous benefits of converting waste to wealth in the country, among other issues. Excerpts:
You have spent over three decades protecting nature and creating a green environment can there be something more fulfilling?
I am not fulfilled yet there are lots of works to be done because Nigeria and Lagos are evolving and we all have works to do. So what we have done in the past is child’s play to what we are going to do now because Lagos State Government has mapped out plans towards climate change and we need to step up the game and make sure that whatever we are doing is in line with climate change. We also need to step up training for the upcoming generation especially people in secondary schools, primary schools, higher institutions so that they can key into the initiative.
I’ve vowed that in my life time, my dream of Lagos will come to pass and what I mean is that when I see green vegetation in 80 per cent of the Lagos environment and the whole of Nigeria, that is when I can say I’m fulfilled. Now we are still at the tutelage level, stepping up the game, donating trees and creating awareness.
As the manager of a very popular and exciting tourist centre in Lagos State, what strategies were you able to deploy to take it to this level?
The strategies are not far to seek. They are consistency, research and exposure. Anytime I travel, what I take note is the environment. I’ve been working consistently reading, researching, asking questions from professional colleagues and translating it into practical. I try to implement what I see and also educate school children who come for excursion and let them know the transformation we want to see in our environment. So, it’s not an easy job, it’s a lot of work.
As we speak, I still do a lot of research in the area of tree planting, in the area of ecosystem protection. We are all working so that the ecosystem will be restored and also working with environmental activists to make sure that where things are not been done properly we correct them, plan for future, claim back our wet lands and our wood lands through development.
Can you give us an insight of your business model?
My business model is not something that is extraordinary but in Lagos and Nigeria generally, it might be new to people because it encompasses a lot of things. My business model has brought in things together in terms of aesthetics and alignment. Here, we have sections for nursery, pool, museum, restaurant and we do a lot of programmes too, so for someone who is not creative,it might be very hard. My business model is anchored on creativity.
What necessitated the floating of Nature Protection and Environmental Improvement Network (NAPEIN), your NGO?
What I had in mind was to spread the environmental gospel and also to go into advocacy, educating the upcoming generation. To enlighten people on how to respect nature because one can’t do anything without nature. I also wanted to collaborate with government and other organisations in that respect. I also wanted to look into how we can convert waste to wealth.
Can you give an insight into converting waste to wealth and how the country can generate wealth from waste?
Government needs to collaborate with advanced countries that are already into converting waste to wealth. Waste causes pollution, so by not converting it, it constitutes nuisance. This is the time government needs to key into the waste- to- wealth philosophy. For instance here in my garden, there is a section we use waste tires to do environmental art, where we use plastics to build house, plastic to make tables and chairs. In fact plastics can also be melted to do interlocking stones.
We need to key into all these things to make our environment safer, cleaner and also habitable and also generate more income. Thus, the government should be looking in that direction it would create more jobs for people instead of over-reliance on oil and agriculture. Government would make so much money in converting waste to wealth. The government should set up a committee to look into that area.
Don’t you think there should be a specialised School of Environmental Studies where by everything about environment can be treated?
If University of Environmental Science or Studies is established, it will be great. Whatever name they want to call it then they can study what they like. We have lots of professionals, specialists that can manage such institutions, they can develop strategies for such. It’s high time because there’s nothing we want to do now that doesn’t have to do with the environment, anything that does not have to do with the environment now is irrelevant.
In terms of climate change what do you consider as solutions to climate change?
Solution to climate change is holistic because we have our forestation. Forestation is important because trees mop up carbon monoxide. If we can explore these four areas: reject, reduce, reuse and recycling and also do a lot of sensitization as regards climate change. Planting many trees will also help in addressing climate change.
How can technology be deployed for horticulture?
In terms of horticulture, we have seen a robot that can plant trees. Most of the things we are doing now are not digitalized, they are still manual and it won’t help us.
In the area of greenery, Ethiopia and Japan have done it. Pakistan is doing it currently, planting over one billion trees using technology. If we cannot afford the technology now, we can still do manual if we really want to achieve environmental sustainability.
What can the government do to make the country a tourist haven?
When you make your country very clean and you have some amount of greenery, it is a pointer that this city or nation are environmentally inclined, so when tourists see that the place is dirty they would not want to see the place again. Cleanliness should be in our culture and not once in a month (environmental sanitation). We need to be conscious of the little things we do to degrade our environment.
So government needs to ensure strict monitoring of areas. They have to do that consistently. Government must ensure proper waste management.
There should be incentives to those that are doing the right thing, then we would have a cleaner, better and safer environment.
What are the implications of environmental degradation?
It puts us in a very tight situation. The implication is that we can lose a lot of our resources in terms of assets. It is important to work consistently with nature, nature rewards only those who treats it very well. If you abuse nature, it will abuse you. When you protect nature, it will protect you.
Don’t you think civilization or development threatens environmental stability?
True, development threatens environmental stability. There is what experts call Environmental Impact Assessment. It involves putting some factors into consideration when planning to develop an area. For instance, if you want to construct roads ,you should know that in that process some things would be affected. So you can’t say because you are protecting the environment and there won’t be development and you can’t say because you want to develop you now pollute the environment.
Also, when you take development to rural areas, it reduces the pressure on the city.
You have won many awards, what do they mean to you?
Each time they give me an award, it gives me energy. It gives me the drive to do more. It gives me courage and hope.
As the chairman of Lagos State Association of Landscapers ,how can you synergise with LASPARK to create a better environment?
We are ready to collaborate with them in the area of training and also giving them support. Environment is not a one man business, it’s not the business of one ministry, it is a collaborative effort.
LASPARK is a regulator, we cannot disturb LASPARK. We are poised to play a supportive role.
What’s your advice to upcoming environmentalists in the country?
My advice to the upcoming environmentalists is to do more research; they must be informed. They must also try and align with relevant associations from the onset to key into environmental activities. In whatever business they find themselves they should consistently align with environmental rules and principles and make sure they plant not less than 5000 trees.
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