The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ‘Environmental

  • Healing environmental ills through recycling

    In low-income countries like Nigeria, World Bank statistics show that more than 90 per cent of waste is mismanaged: disposed in unregulated dumps, along waterways, or openly burned. Poor management of waste has consequences on the environment, safety and health.

    It creates breeding grounds for disease, contributes to global climate change through methane generation, and threatens ecosystems.

    Studies have shown that more than 60 per cent of the trash put in waste bins could be recycled. Estimates say that Nigeria generates more than 32 million tons of solid waste annually, and collects only 20 to 30 percent.

    Recycling has also proven to be a solution to unemployment, which is good news for a country with more than 30 million unemployed youth. Some young Nigerians are already setting the pace in the recycling industry. Aside
    from contributing to a cleaner and safer environment, they can earn a sustainable living from recycling or upcycling.

    Olabanke Banjo is one such example. Her passion for minimizing environmental pollution gave rise to Cyrus45factory, a creative agency focused on creating bespoke avant-garde and ultra-modern furniture products using tires.

    Cyrus45factory was “actually born out of pure coincidence,” says Banjo. “In 2016, I was staying with my big sister in Lagos and her neighbor wanted to get rid of a huge pile of tires. Where they saw a problem I saw an opportunity. Being a lover of revamping old items, I told them not to throw away the tires, that I’d figure out how to discard of them. I really didn’t have any idea what I was going to do with the tires.”

    “But the creative mind in me thought I should be able to make a table out of them, because of their round shape. And if I put some wood underneath, they might look like a table. So, with the help of Google and my very creative mind, I made my first coffee table, and that is how Cyrus45factory started.”

    According to Banjo, one of Cyrus45factoy’s goals is to minimize the damage caused by tire waste – tires are non-biodegradable, and burning them creates both environmental and health hazards.

    environmental

    “Every year, there are about 150 billion tires disposed of around the world. SoCyrus45factory seeks to prevent them from going to incinerators, where they’d be burned, by turning them into artsy and functional household items and furniture. This is how we are providing solutions to environmental challenges,” says Banjo.
    Since 2016, Cyrus45factory has been able to upcycle close to 500 tyres, and has
    received local and international accolades.

    “We’ve won some awards,” says Banjo. “We were awarded the ACE Award best eco-friendly product in 2018, and I personally won the 2017 All Youth Award most enterprising youth entrepreneur. We were invited by the African Union to come and speak on entrepreneurship in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. We have also been featured in
    several international media platforms such as the BBC and the Financial Times. Generally, we have made some strides, and we still intend to do more in the coming years.”

    Banjo says the company is " implementing a method that Nigeria and the entire world can use in disposing of waste, particularly tire waste.”

    The entrepreneur would also like to change the current narrative about made-in- Nigeria products – that they are of inferior quality and lower standards. She would like her products to be able to compete in international markets.

    “In the next ten years, we hope to expand to other parts of Africa, as well as to homes and offices, and ensure that everybody uses eco-friendly products,” she says.

    This article is being published as part of Earth Beats, an international and collaborative initiative gathering 18 news media outlets from around the world to focus on solutions to waste and pollution.

  • Teachers take elearning, environmental courses

    The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has exposed some Nigerian teachers to the rudiments of elearning, online facilitation and collaborative problem-based learning under the Green Teacher programme.

    They also learnt to teach school children about environmental issues.

    The workshop held at the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, recently.

    The training, a collaboration between COL and the Federal Ministry of Education Abuja, was organised to support NTI to address the need for professional development in the field.

    The Green Teacher programme recognises the role of teachers in using education to address local and global environmental issues. Similar teacher development initiatives have been initiated in Kiribati and Sierra Leone.

    A participant, Dr Zubairu Shehu said, “the workshop offered me deep orientation on how to operate the Moodle platform to facilitate online discussions, create and download materials, share materials and resources as students and teachers. The entire platform was filled with hands-on opportunities for practice and engagements.”

  • Farmers/herders’ clashes triggered by environmental, not ethnic/religious issues -Minister

    Farmers/herders’ clashes triggered by environmental, not ethnic/religious issues -Minister

    Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed says the Federal Government will not be discouraged in finding a lasting solution to the incessant clashes between farmers and herders in the country.

    But he insists that contrary to the notion in many quarters the clashes have their roots more in environmental problems rather than ethnic or religious issues.

    The Minister, who stated this at a mini town hall meeting which he organized for the staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin, Germany, and a cross-section of Nigerians residing in the European country on Friday, said whereas Nigeria’s population in 1963 was about 48 million, it is now about 180 million, with the country’s land mass remaining the same, meaning that there are more people per square kilometre and raising the chances of clashes over dwindling resources.

    He also said that Lake Chad that used to provide water and other resources to more than 30 million people in four countries, including Nigeria, in the early 1960s has shrunk by about 90%, from 25,000 square kilometres to 2,500 square kilometres, thus forcing those affected to move south in search of resources.

    ”These and other reasons, like desertification, have altered the resource landscape, heightened competition for dwindling resources and raised the possibility of clashes between farmers and herders,” the Minister said, noting that the establishment of ranches is one sure way of reducing such clashes.

    He, however, said that in resolving the crisis, both the farmers and the herders must be willing to shift slightly from their positions which are grounded in their way of life over centuries.

    Alhaji Mohammed, who is in Berlin to attend a meeting of African Tourism Ministers on the sidelines of the International Travel Trade Fair in the German capital, said contrary to the fake news being peddled in the Social Media by naysayers, President Muhammadu Buhari is putting Nigeria back on its feet.

    ”The naysayers have taken to the Social Media to distort the situation in Nigeria. They are spending huge amounts of money to spread fake news about Nigeria, hoping it will override the string of achievements by the Administration. That is why Nigerians at home and abroad must ensure they have access to authentic information. One way is to download the FGNiAPP on their hand-held devices. It is free!

    ”The economy is on a steady growth, as attested to be the latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics: The economy attracted $12.2 billion in foreign investments in 2017, up from $5.38 billion in 2016. That represents 138% increase; The economy further consolidated its recovery from recession with GDP growing by 1.92% in Q4 2017, compared to 1.40% in Q3 2017 and a contraction of -1.73% in Q4 2016; This means the economy ended 2017 with a growth of 0.82% compared to a contraction of -1.58% in 2016.

    ”GDP Growth in Q4 2017 was driven by growth in crop production, crude production and natural gas, metal ores, construction, transportation and storage, trade, electricity and gas production, indicating that the Administration’s diversification effort is working,” he said.

    For his part, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, commended the patriotism and dedication of Nigerians in Diaspora, especially those in Germany.

    ”There is a burgeoning Nigerian community (in Germany) committed to the prosperity of Nigeria. They are well in tune with the policies of (the Nigerian) government and they are accomplished men and women and worthy ambassadors,” he said.

    In their comments, some leaders of the Nigerian Diaspora commended the government for the progress being made in lifting up the country and stressed the need to step up efforts to ensure the security of life and property in order to attract more foreign investors to the country.

     

     

  • Society seeks review of occupational, environmental health laws

    There  is an urgent need  to review occupational and environmental laws.

    The Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEHPON) National President, Dr Okon Akiba, made the call at this year’s conference and general meeting of the society.

    The theme was: Occupational health for all.

    Akiba said: “The law is obsolete. Occupational health is law, and policy and guidelines-driven; other than that, we are nowhere. We must do it and put it in the cost of production. The gaps in policy are big.’’

    He added that it was for this that the society was calling for a review of the law guiding occupational health.

    He continued: ‘’It is only as a matter of passion for us having worked in multinational companies that we see these things. Occupational health is almost non-existent here. There is a difference between just providing curative and medical health.

    ‘’Occupational health is about being proactive and workers must know the hazards. You must tell them the hazards involved in their work and put in place preventive measures so that the workplace is healthy.

    “There is an urgent need to adopt a National Policy and Programme for occupational health that includes actions for providing competent occupational health services for all people at work. Occupational health is not about us, it is about the public. We are sharing knowledge about safety in the workplace and ensuring the right policies are in place and that guidelines are put in place. Employers are more interested in the work forgetting that the employees have to be healthy, the workplace has to be safe and will be more cost effective at the end of the day because a healthy workforce is a healthy organisation and the end point is enhanced productivity.”

    Akiba said his society was x-raying  the occupational health hazards and risks associated with the informal and the formal sectors, since it is apparent that not much had been documented about the issues.’’

    He said occupational health is an important factor for sustainable socio-economic development that enables workers to enjoy a healthy and productive life during their working years.

    Country Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO),  Nigeria and West Africa, Daniel Zulu, said the ILO/WHO 1950 Constitution sets forth the principle that workers should be protected from sickness, disease, and injury arising from their employment, “yet for millions of workers the reality is very different’’.

    ‘’About 100 million workers are injured and 200,000 die yearly in occupational accidents and 68 to 157 million new cases of occupational diseases are attributed to hazardous exposures or workload,” he added.

    Zulu said: “By affecting the health of the working population, occupational injuries and diseases have profound effects on work productivity and on the economic, social and well being of workers, their families and dependents. .

    SOEHPON National Secretary,  Dr. Uche Enumah, said  the conference is held yearly: “We do this annually to train ourselves. We have a two-day pre-training workshop. Medicine is all about continuing education and latest developments in the field.

    “Health and safety at work are important matters that relate to the general health and well being of working people and, therefore, should be given due consideration in policies, at all levels. Health and safety problems at work are, in principle, preventable and should be done by using all available tools, legislative, technical, research, training, education, information and economic instruments.’’

    “The government should ensure the development of necessary infrastructure for effective implementation of occupational health programmes, including health services, research programmes, training and education, information services and data banks. Networking of such infrastructure within and among the countries would substantially facilitate their efforts to implement national programmes.’’’

  • Lagos advises miners, dredgers on environmental protection

    Lagos advises miners, dredgers on environmental protection

    The Lagos State government has urged sand miners and dredgers to protect the environment of their operation.

    The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, gave the charge at the World Soil Day held in Ikeja.

    He said in line with the theme of  event, which was “Caring for the planet starts from the ground,”the government decided to raise awareness on the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the challenges in soil management through the seminar.

    He said organisations, communities and individuals should give attention to the problems affecting soils, such as soil contamination, degradation, over mining, oil spills, poor waste disposal, flood and erosion among other activities impacting negatively on soils.

    He stressed that the soil must be protected because it was responsible for our food, shelter and sustenance while the quality of the soil impacts so many other critical elements like water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, plant growth and crop production.

    “The message must be loud and clear; we must do all we can to protect and improve soil and its resources because it is the only home we have,” he said.

    Adejare said the ever-growing population of the state with the attendant increase in demand for shelter and food brought about aggravating pressure on sand mining and dredging on land and water, adding that these activities contribute to the impact of climate change and sea water rise, resulting in heavy erosion of coastal communities and flooding in the state.

    He said it was imperative for the government to engage the stakeholders in regular seminar to address the soil challenges and threats as well as regulations required for the overall achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2015-2030.

    “The seminar will review some environmental challenges associated with sand mining and dredging in the state and appraise the prospects of the activities if carried out in sustainable patterns, showing scientific evidence as applicable across the globe,” he asid.

    The Environment commissioner reiterated that ensuring a safe, resilient and sustainable Lagos, through the conservation, protection and restoration of terrestrial and aquatic natural resources for the well being of the citizenry in urban and rural areas of the State remained imperative to the government.

    He advised residents to desist from indiscriminate disposal of spent oil, uncontrolled tree felling and urged tree planting to protect the soil from the ravaging effects of erosion.

    Stressing the government’s commitment to the protection of the soil as a vital resource, Adejare warned those involved in illegal sand mining to desist as such would not be tolerated.

    December 5 has been designated by United Nations as the World Soil Day, following the adoption of the 68th UN General Assembly Resolution in 2013.

    The maiden edition was commemorated by Lagos State last year.

  • Ekiti’s soil creep and need for environmental baseline studies

    The news of a soil creep disaster on September 21, 2017 and the response to it were apt for on-the-spot assessment of the disaster by the Ekitii State government. It is gratifying that no life was lost but properties were damaged along the downward slope. It was reported that there was a similar occurrence in 1973 according to the Okemesi monarch. I am not sure it was documented for ecological and geological appraisal nor did it feature in the state’s prospective site for disbursement of ecological fund largesse.

    Such review if done and available should have put the people of Okemesi and the state on alert that reoccurrence was imminent so they can keep watch for possible evacuation. Soil creep is said to be a continual process with movement of 1cm per year; what happened is the result of accumulated movement that the soil could no longer endure due to the long hours of “undocumented” rainfall. Again, vegetation around the Agboona Hill may have been exposed or covered with trees with much weight; there is need to grow shrubs and trees (of lighter weight) to help in creating interlocking web of sand to keep the slope stable thereby reducing the chance of future movement.

    Unfortunately, it is not on record the amount of rainfall at Okemesi during the time to have provoked the downward movement, it is also not reported that a team of experts have been dispatched to carry out Post Impact Assessment despite the non predictive mechanism. It is with much empathy that I hope the proposed meeting will be articulated beyond superstition and the affected family and or individual will have reasons to be compensated. The just concluded Sustainability Development Impact Summit during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York speaks volume of the much work to be done.

    Climate change is indeed here with us, we have had flood reports from Lagos, Benue, Rivers, Kogi and some part of Oyo and a few states. The flooding of Copenhagen in 2009 led all municipalities to develop their climate change adaptation plans and Copenhagen is better for it today. Considering the topography of the state, Ekiti and others must begin to look inward in ensuring that local governments and states prepare an all inclusive adaptation plans for review that will serve as predictive model and guide that can be domesticated towards sustainable development without crisis.

    Soil creep, described by geologists as a periglacial conditions may have by default placed Okemesi, and if not many parts of Ekiti in the category of periglacial topography that should now be well captured as geological  hotspot for academic excursion and research work for graduate and post-graduate thesis. I look forward to read this interesting discoveries to set the record straight from Ekiti.

     

    • By Gboyega Olorunfemi

    Enviromax Global Resources Ltd,

    gboye_oisa@yahoo.com

  • Averting environmental disasters

    SIR: Being the commercial hub of West Africa, Lagos has obvious environmental concerns. But then, over the years, subsequent governments in the State have endeavoured to make sustainable environmental regeneration a core part of the ultimate goal of transforming the City-State into a Smart city.

    The effects of harmful actions on the environment are unwholesome and we all consciously or unconsciously responsible for it. When we purchase stuffs either in traffic or elsewhere and indiscriminately fling the remnants on the road or other such inappropriate places, what we do is to desecrate the environment. Unfortunately, what we fail to realize is that our seemingly harmless actions have far-reaching consequences as it might take close to 900 years for such remnants to actually decompose.

    Environmental degradation can turn a bustling metropolis into a cluster of slums and a bustling crime zone. People need to realize that individuals who live in overcrowded spaces are more likely to be exposed to scenes of violent schisms that inspire wild reactions like domestic and verbal abuse among others. Though these acts are not really limited to these areas, but they are most likely to occur there due to psychological effects of being deprived of private space.

    The cost of our damaging behaviour against the environment is by no means minimal. For one, it makes government spend unnecessarily while trying to undo the harm done. And really, such fund could have been expended in meeting other crucial societal needs. Also, public health is sometimes seriously hampered as filthy practices tend to lead to outbreak of tragic epidemics which could lead to needless waste of lives.

    The economy also takes a hit with instantaneous effects manifest across all sectors. Tourism, for instance, cannot thrive in any place where the environment is treated irresponsibly. Equally, potential investors will not make such a place a destination of choice. The bottom line is that insensitivity towards environmental issues would do us more harm than good.

    What then can be done to positively alter our attitude towards the environment?

    First, we need to get a proper grasp of the way the environment works and the elements that form that complex whole. It is only when we truly understand what our environment means to us that we could see the danger inherent in its unwholesome treatment. In as much as the bulk of the responsibility seems to hang on the shoulder of all tiers of government with greater need for investment on infrastructural development alongside environmental rehabilitation, nevertheless, without the corresponding attitudinal change from the public such investments would amount to little or nothing.

    Presently, in Lagos, the state government has come up with the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) to address solid waste management through massive emphasis on sensitization, regular checks and inspection, landscape beautification and rehabilitation and replacement of outdated machinery and infrastructure. With this new policy and many others, the Lagos State government has no doubt invested much into environmental conservation, preservation and development.  It is, therefore, baffling to see some residents denigrate the environment in such abysmal manner.

    The implication of this is that for our environment to sufficiently reflect the enormous government investment on it, both the government and the governed must be mutually involved. Japan did not get to the enviable position of having the cleanest cities in the world by leaving the business of environmental rehabilitation to the government alone. No! It really began when Japanese began to take responsibility over their environment.

    Like Japan, with the needed discipline and conscious determination, we could also turn most of our cities into amazing haven of cleanliness. This could begin with a simple habit of not throwing dirt in unauthorized places; not urinating in public places; not patronizing illicit waste disposal agents, and not turning parks and gardens into cattle ranches or party spots.

    If advanced nations of the world such Australia, United States of America, China and others that pay utmost attention to environmental issues could be threatened with massive environmental hazards as some of them currently experience, it is a wakeup call for us to turn a new leaf by treating our environment fairly.

    We must jointly resolve to save our environment and, indeed, ourselves from the dreadful effects of environmental degradation. We must understand and appreciate that the survival of future generation depends on how well we treat the environment now.  So, for everyone, this is the time to work and walk together in a renewed commitment to preserve our environment.

     

    • Sade Padonu,

    Badagry, Lagos.

  • ‘Save us from health, environmental problems’

    ‘Save us from health, environmental problems’

    The people of Agboyi Ketu, a riverine agrarian community have tasked the Lagos State Government on the provision of improved healthcare services and other infrastructure in the town.

    They said because of the area’s swampy terrain and poor access roads, they have difficulties accessing medical services.

    Other environmental factors, the added, aslo cause high maternal and child mortality rates in the town.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) system in the area as well as healthcare delivery is poor.

    The community, which is less than a seven-minute boat ride from the Agboyi jetty in Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Secretariat, is usually flooded during the rainy season and also lacks  potable water.

    The residents pleaded with the government to make its presence be felt in the community. They also appealed for 24-hour healthcare delivery services in their only health centre to improve health indices.

    A traditional ruler, Chief Timothy Bankole, the Asoju-Oba of Agboyi land, said women in the community patronised Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) because their services were available day and night.

    Bankole, a retired Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Education, said that the Primary Health Centre (PHC) was only open till 3:30pm every day, thereby exposing the people that needed to access it beyond that time to challenges.

    “It is a long term problem; the PHC here does not operate like other centres I know in Lagos; our women believe and use TBAs because they are available and operate round the clock.

    “It is only recently that an NGO did a make-over on the PHC, yet the centre is not equipped to take child birth deliveries; this is a problem considering the location of this community where one has to cross the lagoon by wooden boat to access the metropolis.

    “We have tried to convince our people to patronise the centre; the patronage has improved but they only go there to take injections or immunisation.

    “You cannot even register them for ante-natal and deliveries when they always close around 3 p.m. daily and the TBAs operate round the clock; it works for them and so, they continue,’’ he said.

    The retired director called on sanitary inspectors in the Lagos State Ministry of Health to visit the area and sensitise the residents so that their patronage of the health centre would improve.

    Bankole lamented that it was pathetic that the community which had been in existence for over 500 years did not to have a link road to the city.

    “The absence of a road linking the community to the metropolis has sent us backward; there is no visible progress in this community.

    “We urge the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led government to intensify efforts to build a link bridge that will connect us to other communities.

    “It is also sad that our community is surrounded by water yet this water is polluted and not drinkable; we cannot even fish there because all forms of human and domestic waste goes directly into it.

    “We buy sachet water (Pure Water) from the town across the river and it is very expensive, so, you will see that many people here have skin infections.

    “Many non-governmental organisaions (NGOs) have visited the community to assist our people; these are temporary measures because we need the people we voted into power to come and improve the standard of this community,’’ Bankole said.

    A staff of the PHC, who did not disclose her name, confirmed that the women in the community only come to the centre to give their babies injections, adding that only three official members of staff manage the facility.

    “We are here because of the passion for our profession; we have tried to convince the women to come here for their ante-natal but they prefer to go to the TBAs because they are used to them.

    “The patronage is very low but at least they are bringing their babies for injection; we also have cases of malaria and skin diseases and we treat and counsel accordingly.

    “However, with more personnel, as well as increased sensitisation and advocacy by all stakeholders and a functional 24-hour service in the centre, more women will patronise this PHC,’’ she said.

    A traditional birth attendant in the community, Mrs Nurat Agoro, who said she had been practising there for over 25 years without recording any death associated with child birth, noted that she had gone through series of training by the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

    “In 2016, I delivered over 200 babies in my home and I always refer complicated birth delivery cases to the clinic outside the community.

    “I collaborate with the PHC to ensure that pregnant women patronise the facility before and after child birth,’’ she said.

  • Surmounting Lagos’ environmental challenges

    The environment agency of the Lagos State government has in recent time been experiencing monumental reformation. From the passage of the Lagos Environmental Law 2017, to the recent employment of new environmental officers, the change in the nomenclature of the popular Kick Against Indiscipline, (KAI) to Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps Agency (LASESCORPS) among several other innovations is certainly commendable and worthy of note. With these reforms going on simultaneously, the state government is further demonstrating its renewed commitment to rid the state of all forms of environmental nuisances.

    Environmental sustainability, being the seventh of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), has several areas of focus, which include sustainable development, environmental protection from natural occurrences like greenhouse warming, ozone depletion, soil erosion, chemical management, acidic rain and water pollution, among other things. Generally, the ultimate purpose of this goal is to improve the lives of the citizenry, so much so that activities of urban settlers will not impact negatively on the life of the rural dwellers and vice versa.

    Before now, several commendable efforts have been made to combat environmental challenges and attain a cleaner and sustainable environmental standard by successive visionary administrations in the state. Parts of these initiatives informed the establishment of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, in addition to some already existing agencies under the Ministry for the Environment. Of note was the establishment of the Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI) in 2003 as a division of the Ministry of the Environment, to effectively police and maintain cleanliness in the Lagos environment as well as ensure that there are no illegal trading activities on major roads and highways within the metropolis.

    The establishment of KAI then and reformation of the brigade by the present administration to include some additional responsibilities show a more pragmatic approach to combat all environmental-related issues. KAI has as parts of its establishing mandate to curb street trading and hawking within the metropolis; prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places; prevent erection of illegal structure and shanties on drainages, roads, setbacks, lay-bys and medians.

    In addition to the above, KAI was also established to curb vegetal nuisance and overgrown weeds around the state; enforce the use of pedestrian bridges and curb illegal parking and vehicle abandonment for effective free flow of traffic. This is because the state government realised the long-term effects of these misdemeanours and their ripple effects on the collective good of its residents, as well as attendant threat to the environment.

    This effort by KAI Brigade is also being complimented by Central Business District, CBD officers, whose operations are restricted to the Central Business District of the Lagos Island.

    A remarkable feat by the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode in the environment sector was the signing of the new environmental law, early this year. The law, which is the first of its kind in the history of the state, also consolidates and harmonises the various laws relating to the environment into a single law to allow for a more convenient administration and management of the environment.

    One of the provisions of the New Environment Management and Protection Law is the change in the nomenclature of the Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI) to Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps Agency (LASESCORPS) with assigned power to spearhead enforcement of the new law, thereby expanding the composition and scope of operation of LASESCORPS officials. Besides creating 27, 500 new jobs, the policy will fast track the process of transforming the Lagos metropolis into a cleaner megacity by tackling air and water pollution.

    The fact that Lagos is surrounded by water bodies, which makes it susceptible to some natural environmental challenges, makes the law even more imperative. So, from another perspective, the law will also insulate residents against preventable diseases and halt further deterioration of the environment, thus paving the way for thriving socio-economic activities.

    Just as the introduction of Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA changed the face of waste management in the state in years past, the new Lagos State Environment Management and Protection Law, which provides for a smarter waste collection method, will usher in a cleaner, healthier and smarter Lagos.

    As part of the provisions of the Lagos State Harmonised Environmental Law, 2017 also, and in furtherance of the state’s spirited effort to make Lagos State cleaner, healthier and more liveable, a special task force for the removal of abandoned and disused vehicles and tricycles littering the state has been set up by the state government.

    Similarly, the state government has appointed vehicular scrap collection agent, in line with Section 56 sub-section (1) of the Lagos State Harmonised Environmental Law, 2017, whose activity commences this month.

    The Environment Task Force will paste a sticker with a Removal Notice on identified abandoned vehicles with a seven-day period for self-removal by owners of the vehicle. Upon expiration of the grace period, identified abandoned vehicles will be removed by the task force to a designated depot within the state and where such vehicles are unclaimed within 30 days, the vehicles will be forfeited to the government and undergo proper disposal accordingly.

    With the new Lagos environmental law, the rigorous beautification and green Lagos projects and various regeneration efforts and the support and cooperation of every resident of the state, the state hopes to reverse the loss of environmental resources and sustain an even environmental development.

    Street trading and hawking indeed remains great environmental eyesore to the Lagos State government and does not fit into its Smart City vision. Citizens should therefore realise that, as a people, we cannot continue to sacrifice proper and environmental friendly possibilities on the altar of making ends meet. We must also be conscious at all time of the fact that having a sustainable environment free of all forms of nuisances is achievable in Lagos if all hands are on deck.

     

    • Alabi (Mrs) is of Ministry of Environment, Lagos State.

     

  • MOE partners LASU on environmental regeneration

    MOE partners LASU on environmental regeneration

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, has said the Ministry  was set to partner Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, on environmental management and sustainability through its Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development (CESSED).

    Adejare made this known during a courtesy call on LASU Vice Chancellor, Prof Olanrewaju Fagbohun. He was accompanied by some top ministry officials.

    According to him, it has become necessary for the academia to be involved in finding solutions to societal problems, particularly in the environment sector. He stressed that LASU must be made to realise the vision of its founders, which was to profer solutions to problems in the society.

    “The gown had driven development in notable places like Boston, Harvard and Lancaster; this obviously is not beyond us, we too can make our own LASU drive development in Lagos State,” Adejare noted, assuring that a committee would soon be set up to steer the affairs and birth of the planned partnership.

    Fagbohun, while receiving the team, explained that CESSED was conceptualised as a think- tank for the state Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) in the area of pollution control and management, and that the centre would be more willing to fulfil that vision now that the Ministry of the Environment was offering the partnership.

    He, therefore, called for a major environmental summit to kick start the relationship, stressing that he could not wait to see students becoming consistent advocates of various laudable initiatives of state in environmental management.