Environment
UBE Board Flays Indiscriminate Dumping Of Refuse
The FCTA
Universal Basic Education Board, has decried the use of public school grounds
in both rural and urban centres in the territory for the dumping of refuse.
The board’s Director, Mr Adamu Noma,
who expressed his displeasure over the act in an interview with newsmen in
Abuja recently said such practice had adverse consequences on the health of the
school children.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on
members of the pubic to desist from doing that kind of thing where school
premises are used as dumping grounds for refuse; it is very bad; if they knew
that it is not good for their own children, they wouldn’t be doing that.
“In most of our schools we have
designated incinerators where refuse are dumped on weekly basis and sometimes
on daily basis, fire is set on them and you burn them.
“In some areas and communities, people
capitalise on some of these areas and then send their refuse and even dump them
even beside the school and then the evacuation of some of those things will be
beyond the capacity of the school.
“We have so many places like that
especially if you look at the schools in urban centers here where some of the
school premises are used as dumping grounds by the neighborhood. That is very
bad; we must desist from doing that kind of thing.’’
The director, who also stressed the need
for rural infrastructure development to promote sound learning and enhance
grassroots development, noted that neglecting rural communities, placed the
school children there at a great disadvantage.
He, therefore, called for synergy
between relevant government agencies in the provision of these facilities.
“Let me call on all the agencies
charged with the responsibility of providing some of these basic social
amenities to our rural communities.
“For instance who is supposed to
provide rural roads to rural communities so that our teachers will find it
convenient to travel to their respective areas.
“Who is charged with water, the
provision of water to rural communities, so that our schools can equally
benefit.
“Mention any social amenities in rural
areas; there are agencies charged with the responsibility of providing some of
these facilities.
“If these facilities are provided, you
find out that we in government, we in the Universal Basic Education Board, will
not spend money again providing them.
“Now take for instance, in the urban
centres here we don’t spend much money again in providing water facilities
because already some of these schools have water connected to them.
“It is in the rural and semi-urban
areas where these facilities are not provided that we have to spend extra money
in providing the facilities ourselves to these schools.’’
He maintained that for equity in learning, development of personal
hygiene, sustainable environment and improved health, such amenities would
improve learning conditions and boost school development.
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.
-
Featured4 days agoFubara Redeploys Green As Commissioner For Justice
-
Sports1 day agoAFCON ’25: Osimhen Not Worried By Yekini Comparison, Pressure
-
Politics1 day agoYou Have No Power To Drop Me, Ekiti PDP Candidate Tells INEC
-
Sports1 day agoOgoni Nation Cup : Coach Praise Players In spite 2-0 Loss
-
Business1 day agoKALCCIMA PROMISES KALABARI ECONOMIC GROWTH, INAUGURATES NEW EXECUTIVES
-
Sports1 day agoRemo Stars set for Ikenne return
-
Sports1 day agoChelsea Set To Part Ways With Maresca?
-
Sports1 day agoSoname Calls For NPFL referees demotion
