In Lagos state, recycling is practically non-existent. More often than not,  after plastic products are used, they are burnt, littered or discarded in landfills and waterways. 

On July 15, 2022, the cloud that was pregnant with rain the previous evening when residents of the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State went to bed, burst. It rained cats and dogs amid a breeze that caressed the dwellers to a deep, soothing sleep. But minutes into the downpour, what started as a blessing plunged the neighbourhood into doom as the water was blocked from flowing through the waterways properly. 

This was as a result of plastic waste which had filled the gutters, and before dawn, flooding had sent 10 people– including kids and couples – to their untimely graveyards. Livestock, as well as properties estimated at millions of naira were also destroyed with scores of survivors displaced.

In recent years, the rate at which plastic waste is burnt has plummeted due to the insufficient ways in which these plastics are disposed of. 

The carbon released from these processes also results in unfavourable biogeochemical processes that affect the ocean at large. Various research that was carried out by my team, (LAGOS PLASTIC REVOLVER) this year proves  that the public is either ignorant of recycling or have a blatant disregard for it.

In our study involving 35,000 students, 1500 students- 95% of those who answered our questionnaire on recycling claimed that they had never practiced any form of recycling before. 

Although, ignorance about recycling is at an all time high, inadequate education on environmental conservation, as well as little gratification for the practice of individual recycling, are contributing immensely to the exponential increase in pollution.

If  I could use two to describe the catalyst of these issues; those words would be value and awareness, which is the theme my team is looking to address. We would create value and awareness on recycling plastic. 

We are not oblivious to the fact that the total eradication of plastic in Nigeria is a long shot. However,  the misconception that plastics are non-reusable will persist unless more effort goes into creating the awareness  that value can be obtained from re-usage.

It is for this reason that I am calling on the Ministry of Education to include recycling in the school curriculum to ensure that every graduate of a higher institution understands and practices recycling adequately. 

I am also calling on the Ministry of Health to ensure that recycling is adequately implemented in our country, as the absence of implementation poses a health risk to all Nigerians, especially those who consume fish. 

I believe the greatest way of transmitting information is through the youths; they are the future and are the greatest transmitters of information making a huge impact in society. The knowledge gained through my organization will be passed on to their friends, families, future mentees and their various communities at large. 

I have every intention to ensure that this movement will serve as a model for other students across Nigerian institutions in advancing SDG14 (Life below Water). This would inadvertently translate to the attainment of our overall objective:  Ensuring that Waterways in Lagos and Nigeria at large are free of Plastic Litter.