Environment
‘Used Cellophane Bags Can Generate Wealth’
Used cellophane bags that litter the environment may constitute a threat, but can be used to generate wealth in the country, a sanitation and hygiene expert has said.
The National Coordinator Youth Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Network, Mr. Nature Obiakor said this in an interview with newsmen recently in Abuja.
Obiakor said that such materials were seen as a source of wealth because if properly managed, they could create jobs in the country.
The Youth WASH Network was established in 2011 as a coordinating, organising and networking platform for youth-focused organisations working on water, sanitation and hygiene programmes and projects in Africa.
Obiakor called on government and donor agencies to invest in the waste-to-wealth project by recycling such used materials to create opportunities for jobs, especially for the youth
“The cellophane bags that are seen everywhere around the streets blocking drainages mean money; it’s wealth, it can create jobs and can also create wealth for people; but the problem we have is that it’s not being managed and so many people are seeing investment in this recycling.
“Because these things can really be recycled that’s one of the projects we are looking at to also work out some things with NAFDAC and some of all these major agencies to see how these things can be recycled.
“They block drainages but they are also opportunities that can be harnessed like we young people now have a project on this our waste to wealth, if we can get funders who can really involve young people, who can support a recycling project.
“In Lagos people gather pure water leather they go and scale it and sell and get some money so young people who do not have what they are doing, instead of allowing these cellophane to block the road, they go and gather these things sell it and make money.
“So am not seeing these pure water leathers and some of these cellophanes around as a major challenge, I see them as an opportunity that can be tapped into but the challenge now is who and who is ready to support these young ones to tap into this opportunities.”
He said that as part of the network’s plans for the year, it would organise a summit with the title: ‘keep your promise campaign’.
“The campaign is one of our priorities for this year because we want to make sure we are not only being used as agents of campaigns for more funding; we want to also be agents of monitoring and evaluation of most of the water sanitation and hygiene programmes.”
He said the campaign would focus on how young people could be mainstreamed and involved in the monitoring and evaluation activities of WASH projects to ensure proper execution.
According to him, the organisation will also embark on water sanitation and hygiene campaign on university campuses across the country in order to get more females involved in WASH activities.
“We are also looking at gender issues because if you are talking about Water Sanitation and Hygiene, gender issues constitute one of our priorities; and in this our gender issues, we want to really take out our campaigns to the campuses targeting females.
“We believe that women are major custodians of sanitation and hygiene because they take care of both the children, they take care of both the elderly, women are generally known as care givers, we really want to bring them on board.
“Especially the female because we know they can influence the guys, they can influence their parents back home and they can also be agent of carrying along the secondary schools.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.
-
Featured3 days agoFubara Redeploys Green As Commissioner For Justice
-
Sports18 hours agoAFCON ’25: Osimhen Not Worried By Yekini Comparison, Pressure
-
Sports18 hours agoOgoni Nation Cup : Coach Praise Players In spite 2-0 Loss
-
Sports18 hours agoChelsea Set To Part Ways With Maresca?
-
Business18 hours agoKALCCIMA PROMISES KALABARI ECONOMIC GROWTH, INAUGURATES NEW EXECUTIVES
-
Sports18 hours agoRemo Stars set for Ikenne return
-
Politics18 hours agoYou Have No Power To Drop Me, Ekiti PDP Candidate Tells INEC
-
Sports18 hours agoSoname Calls For NPFL referees demotion
