Following the current state of waste disposal an management in Lagos state and attendant concerns raised by the mismanagement of waste by the Lagos state government on one hand and Lagosians on the other hand, a non-governmental organization, Sustainable Environment, Food and Agriculture Initiative (SEFAAI) has organized a waste management conference to address the issues.
Discussions at the conference, with the theme, Waste Management in Nigeria; Status, Perspective, Strategy and Capacity Building- Focus on Ikorodu centered around indiscriminate dumping of wastes as well as burning of refuse in the Ikorodu Local Government Area.
Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr Olabode, who deliver the conference keynote address at the maiden conference of SEFAAI on Thursday 31st January, 2019 noted that Ikorodu’s waste are resources and that residents need enlightenment, education on how to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste. He reiterated the timeliness of the conference and commended the organisation for her passion for the well-being and health of the environment.
He further reassured that the PSP operators were fully back to the business of waste disposal and management in the state. He also noted that the health hazards that come with the job are checked by free medical checkups for workers and through other tools like nose mask and hand gloves.
One of the guest discussants and a House of Representative candidate, Ikorodu federal constituency on the platform of ADC, Hon. Segun Arinze blamed both the government and the populace for the hazardous waste situation in the country. According to him, “A solution to the waste management problems we have is waste classification, where a particular bin is designated for each kind of waste’.
‘I want the people to be informed of what to do with the waste and how it can become another source of employment, ” he added.
Hon Arinze also promised to build a fertilizer company for the purpose of recycling wastes being generated across Ikorodu division, if he elected into office.
Another discussant, Hon. Oyebanjo Akinlola, a female House of Assembly candidate for Ikorodu Constituency 2 said the conference was an informative one. “I have always been very conscious of littering but now I will tell my children and the people around me about waste management”, she said.
The CEO of SEFAAI and convener of the conference, Adebimpe Abiodun, said the aim of the organization was to promote sustainability in the use of natural resources, create a medium to enlighten and educate the residents of Ikorodu division and Lagos state, in general on the hazards of mismanaged waste and benefits that accompany sustaining the environment.
Adebimpe added that the organization’s next project is to build one million “sweet trees” across the division. Sweet trees, meaning trees that produce fruits. He said his organization looks forward for the support of the Local and State government for a larger outreach to the people of the division.
