From: Samuel Bello, Abuja
President of Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON), Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, has said that without a waste management policy in place, the country would be swamped with wastes by 2020.
Prof. Osinbajo made the statement in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
However, Osibanjo urged the Federal Government to create an enabling environment and allow the private sector drive the management of wastes, guided by enforced regulations.
According to Osibanjo, “We need to think globally and act locally. Since we are part of the global community and Nigeria is an active participant. With our large population, the cost of inaction would be colossal.
“If we don’t do anything now, by 2020, the waste we generate will double and we would all be swamped. So whether we like it or not, we have to be part of it.
“If there’s no level playing field, industries will not come because they are going to bring thousands and millions of dollars. But they can’t invest if there are ramshackle industries polluting.
“We are bringing all stakeholders together, because the first thing is awareness. We have engaged the National Assembly and we have interacted, we are also engaging the ministries also.
“Nigeria is a golden land for waste management. UNEP came out with a publication in 2015, Global waste management outlook, out of the 50 largest landfills in the world, 4 are in Lagos.
“We are a country swimming in waste and when we don’t manage waste, health would be poor. You dare not drink from a river now because all the wastes are dumped there,” he lamented.