By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
The U.S. Consulate General Lagos,Public Affairs Officer Stephen Ibelli has enjoined all Nigerians to take proactive measures towards safeguarding the environment for future generations.
Ibelli stated that with the increasing use of plastic packaging, poor waste management, and other challenges, associated with environmental pollution, the US government in collaboration with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria, the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Regional Center Alumni and YALI Network Community has launched the “Clean up Nigeria campaign”
He explained during his remark that the campaign aimed at encouraging a change in prevalent attitudes towards littering and waste disposal in the country.
“The Clean up Nigeria Campaign would kick off in four states due to the peculiarities Lagos,Oyo, Enugu and Rivers State and would bring together, U.S. Mission’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni, Nigerian Civil Society groups, Social Enterprises, State and Local Governments, in order to achieve this civic movement.
Ibelli called for greater awareness on collaborative action towards ensuring a cleaner society mobilised to remove a large number of of waste from the environment in strategic location.
He said that the group would organised clean-up activities , major parts of each states in a bid to raise awareness within the local communities of the need to collaborate with community collectors, others to care for the environment.
The group would sensitise the residents in each area why we must stay in a clean and healthy environment.
The co-ordinator of the group “ Clean-Up Nigeria, Adepeju Jaiyeoba, said, comprises of fellows from four U.S fellowship Alumni association, Adepeju Jaiyeoba, stated that poor management has been one of the hinderances to sustainable development, not only in Nigeria but in many countries of the world.
Jaiyeoba added while some attributed poor waste management system to weak environmental policies, or even urbanization and population growth rate,how do we prevent diseases rest on us all as citizens.
“Every year, Nigeria looses N455B to poor sanitation and other than 70 million Nigerians lived in unsanitary conditions according to a report by water and sanitation programme.
She stressed that the clean up Nigeria campaign kicks off in four states in Nigeria, namely, Lagos, Oyo, Enugu and Rivers from now tillJune 2021.
