Worried by the mounting heap of refuse in Nigerian cities, the Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Mr. Chima Williams has advocated for a collective engagement and collaboration among all stakeholders in order to achieve a zero-waste society.
Speaking in Benin at the maiden sitting of Zero Waste Parliament organised by ERA/FoEN in collaboration with Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternative (GAIA), Chima said to achieve a zero-waste society, every Nigerian must be involved as the battle must not be left for the government alone.
The executive director said that the burden must be carried by all so that the success story will be for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“At ERA, we want every hand to be on deck in achieving a zero-waste society. Now is the time for collective engagement and collaboration in achieving a zero-waste society. We must collaborate,” he said
He warned against the incineration of waste in society, noting that a clean environment amounts to a sickness-reduced society and by extension, a healthier society.
He observed that when wastes are burnt, further environmental hazards are created for the people around the area of operation.
He added: “If your environment is clean and your waste is properly managed, sickness would be reduced; hospital bills will be reduced, and it is for your own benefit.”
The General Manager, Edo State Waste Management Board, Mr. Osadebamen Imariagbe decried indiscriminate dumping of waste in the state particularly in the Benin metropolis.
Imariagbe lamented the lackadaisical attitude of residents, who he accused of not cooperating with waste managers in the discharge of their duties.
He said that modalities have been put in place to prosecute offenders, disclosing that there are dedicated trucks working permanently both days and nights to collect waste around the major streets of the Edo State capital and other major towns in the state.
He said: “We have collaborated with the Edo Security Network (vigilante) and the Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) to help monitor our environment at night. Anyone who is caught in the night will be taken to the nearest police station and later charged to court in the daytime.”
