Environment

Thousands Rendered Homeless As Storm Wrecks Havoc In Rivers

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2024

Tens of thousands of people were rendererd homeless while property worth millions of naira destroyed in Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas of Rivers State as rainstorm recently wrecked havoc in the two local government areas.
Sources informed The Tide that collosal damages were caused by the natural disaster in the areas.
The Tide also learnt that economic trees such as mangoes, oranges and others were also pulled down by the storm.
As at the time of filing this report more than 20 communities had been affected by the natural disaster in the areas.
According to eyewitness account, several buildings were either deroofed or pulled down by the storm across Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro local govermrnt areas.
Some of the communities affected in Andoni include Ngo, Oyorokoto, Ekede and Ikuru Town.
Also affected are Okoroboile, Chiekmoluk, Oboloiluk, Agbama, Otuokporo, Ebukumaija and Okoloile. Also, some fishing settlements along the Ikuru Town beach were also affected by the storm.
The Tide learnt that the storm deroofed some buildings at Opobo Town, and all its satellite communities including Minima, Okpukpo, Queenstown Epelema and others.
A resident of Obolo Iluk Mr Taibi Sunday told The Tide in a telephone interview that some economic trees were pulled down in the community.
Giving a break down of damages caused by the disaster in the area, Sunday said 21 houses were pulled down in Obolo Iluk, nine in Agbama , nine at Otuokporo and nine at Ebukumaija amongst others. local government Council and the State Government to come to their aide.

Also speaking Mr Ataisi lucky from Ekede lamented the level of destruction caused by the storm in the community.

He said it was the first time the community is suffering such large scale destruction by windstorm

Also at Ngo chief Adaiyibo Unyeawaji told the Tide via the telephone that his house was affected.
He said part of his roof was pulled out by the storm.

He said the situation has inflicted hardship on the people, adding that with the current high cost of building materials,it would be difficult for some of the affected persons to rebuild their houses.

He called on the government and public spirited individuals including non governmental organizations to come to their aide by assisting them with Zinc and other building materials.
At Ebukuma,Mr Emmanuel David Gogonte confirmed that his house was affected.

He said he lost more than fifty sheets of Zinc to the storm reacting to the incident in a telephone interview with The Tide ,The Executive Chairman of Andoni local Government Area Dr Erastus Awortu confirmed the incident adding that a team from the Council has been sent to assess the level of damages caused by the storm in all the Communities.

He said based on available information the situation is beyond the capacity of the Council to handle but added that the Council is working hard to rebuild the Corpers lodge destroyed by the storm at Ikuru Town.

By: John Bibor

Environment

Lagos State Government Refuted Resumed Monthly Sanitation

Published

6 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Lagos State Government on Saturday refuted an online media report claiming that the state had resumed the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said no categorical statement had been made regarding the commencement date of the exercise.

Wahab explained that what he told newsmen after a project inspection tour last Sunday was that engagements with relevant stakeholders were still ongoing.

He said the state government had planned to begin with a sensitisation programme last week, but was constrained by logistics issues.

“The truth is, we were meant to start with a sensitisation programme last week, but we had a logistics issue. We need to find a day that is acceptable to all stakeholders,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the exercise might return very soon, adding that the official date would be communicated by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The commissioner urged law-abiding residents to continue their lawful activities without hindrance, assuring them that adequate notice would be given before the exercise was reintroduced.

The monthly environmental sanitation, previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the exercise.

However, renewed waste management challenges, including clogged drainage channels and indiscriminate refuse disposal, have sparked calls from residents for its reinstatement.

Environment

LAWMA Director Says Sweeping Reforms Have Improved Waste Collection

Published

6 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, says sweeping reforms and infrastructure upgrades have significantly improved waste collection efficiency across the state.

Gbadegesin disclosed this to newdmen last week in Lagos state.

He said LAWMA expanded night cleaning operations and increased street sweeping coverage to 1,000 routes statewide.

He disclosed that 16,000 street sweepers were currently engaged across Lagos, supported by improved logistics and operational systems.

He said LAWMA acquired new equipment three years ago to complement Private Sector Participants (PSP) compactors and rehabilitated old trucks to strengthen fleet capacity.

He added that additional compactor trucks were expected in the coming months.

“Heavy-duty equipment is now deployed to clear legacy illegal dumpsites across communities,” he said.

Gbadegesin said LAWMA strengthened human capacity by expanding its advocacy department and deepening collaboration with Community Development Associations (CDAs) and local councils.

He revealed that each local government now operates a waste management task force, supported by LAWMA integration desks.

On waste-to-wealth initiatives, he disclosed that the Lagos State House of Assembly had ratified a concession agreement with ZoomLion to construct transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities.

The facilities, he said, would enable closure of the Olusosun and Solous landfills and process 4,000 tonnes of waste daily.

He said organic waste, which constitutes about 50 per cent of Lagos waste, would be converted into compost, while plastics would be recycled into waste bins.

Gbadegesin also disclosed plans for a 1,500-tonnes-per-day waste-to-energy plant in partnership with a Dutch firm, Harvest Waste.

He said the project was expected to generate 60 megawatts of electricity to support emerging industrial zones.

He further highlighted a pilot biogas plant at the Epe Food Market, which processes 500kg of organic waste daily to generate electricity for market operations.

He called for stronger media collaboration to enhance public awareness and behavioral change.

“Waste management is not just about equipment; it is about human behaviour, enforcement and strong regulatory systems,” he said.

He urged residents to utilise LAWMA’s toll-free lines and digital platforms to report service gaps instead of resorting to illegal dumping.

Environment

Ministry Of Environment To Validate A Landmark Policy To Advance Nigeria’s Economy

Published

6 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Ministry of Environment last Thursday convened key stakeholders in Abuja to validate a landmark policy brief aimed at tackling marine litter to advance Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy.

Mrs Falmata Bukar-Kolo, the Deputy Director, Solid Waste Management and Technology Division in the ministry, warned that plastic pollution poses serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health.

She stated that microplastics have already entered the food chain through fish consumption, while clogged waterways, soil contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions from burning plastics are worsening the environmental crisis.

Bukar-Kolo said that plastics, though widely used, are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment for years.

She called for improved waste management systems, stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, and behavioural change amongst citizens and businesses.

Mr Clem Ugorji, Regional Coordinator of PROTEGO, emphasised on the urgency of action, saying Nigeria’s marine litter crisis carries environmental, economic, and reputational costs.

He expressed optimism that the 2025 to 2040 roadmap endorsed at the workshop would shift the country from prolonged dialogue to concrete implementation.

The event was organised in collaboration with PROTEGO (Prevention of Marine Litter in the Gulf of Guinea).

Discussions centred on a draft policy input paper titled “Policies, Institutional Set-up and Financing of Marine Litter Prevention in Nigeria,”.

These seeks to present insightful analysis and a set of recommendations to address the structural and financing gaps that have long hindered effective waste management, particularly plastic leakage from inland communities and waterways into the Atlantic Ocean.

The PROTEGO initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and led by adelphi, with implementation in Nigeria by WASTE Africa and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC).

The policy brief is a key delivery for one of the programme’s four impact areas – building capacities of public stakeholders.