Environment

Emolga As Elites Union Marks 30th Anniversary

Published

9 years ago

April 21, 2017

It was merriment and celebration all the way as the Elites Union of Oduoha-Emohua in Emohua Local Government Area (EMOLGA) Rivers State marked their 30th anniversary. The event attracted distinguished personalities within and outside the community including the former state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Chief (Dr) Ahmed Oruge who attended the historic event held from Friday 14th to Monday 17th April 2017 at Oduoha.
High points of the celebration included, wrestling competition, seminar and paper presentation, thanksgiving service at St. George’s Anglican Church Oduoha-Emohua, honouring of II Phd holders and the first female graduate of the community with academic excellence awards and seven other deserving sons and daughters of the community as well as post humous awards amongst others.
Earlier in his address at the ceremony, the traditional ruler of Oduoha-Emohua, Chief Ferdinald Ogbuehi said such events were what the community want as it will help in ushering in peace, in promoting unity and usher in even development in the community. He commended the Elite Union for championing peaceful co-existence in the area and for their developmental projects and programmes.
Chief Ogbuehi noted that if not for the efforts of the union, the community would have gone into extinction due to the nefarious activities of cultists. He stressed that through the efforts of Elite Union the excesses of the cultists had been curtailed that is why the community is in peace today.
The traditional ruler thanked the state governor, His Excelency Chief (Barr) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for his amnesty programme and urged youths of the community to embrace the programme and surrender their weapons of death and destruction. He stressed that anybody who failed to do so would be exposed as there is no room for cultists, kidnappers or armed robbers in Oduoha community.
He also thanked the Elite Union for reviving the wrestling culture of the community. According to him wrestling is an important age long culture and tradition of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality that had brought the people together from time immemorial and ensured unity and peaceful co-existence among the people.
Also speaking, the president of the Elites Union, Hon. Reginald Osigbo explained that the union was celebrating its 30 years of love unity and progress. He noted that wrestling was one of the events to mark the anniversary because of its importance in the lives of the people of the community. He said apart from building the physical strength of the youths, it helped to engage them meaningfully instead of them to participate in cultism and other social vices.
The chairman of the 30th Anniversary Planning Committee, Barr. Chinonye Erinwo disclosed that the Elite Union started in 1987 and they had celebrated their 10th and 20th anniversaries now the 30th. According to him, the Elite Union is the first feel association in the community that has survived for 30 years.

Environment

Lagos State Government Refuted Resumed Monthly Sanitation

Published

6 hours 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 hours 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 hours 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.