By Etta Michael Bisong
Abuja
Environmental rights groups comprising members of the civil society organisations (CSOs), National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), health as well as sanitary officers have tasked the federal government to ensure the right institutional framework to reinforce the culture of sanitation among citizens to help tackle the huge environmental challenges affecting Nigeria.
As part of activities to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day (WED), the members gathered at the famous Garki village market in Abuja to carry out clean up exercise and sensitisation campaign on the importance of sanitation to environmental protection.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, the Chief Executive Officer of Connected Development (CODE), Hamzat Lawal, said the significance of having the right policy framework in place is to foster and ensure proper waste management system that can help engage the teaming youths who are living without jobs across the country.
Lawal added that cleaning and gathering of waste is not enough to address the present sanitary crises and urged the government to see the menace as an opportunity to introduce recycling plants and encourage investment in waste management.
“For us this is an opportunity to start having recycling plants, sort these wastes and attract huge investment in waste management in the capital city,” he said.
He said there is urgent need for mass mobilisation and grassroots support to pressure various constituted authorities to enact the right sanitary policies to close the existing gaps bedeviling the sector.
He called on relevant stakeholder to see the 2016 WED celebration as another opportunity to renew their commitments towards promoting environmental sustainability.
Founder of the New Nigeria Initiative, Tracy Okoro, who also commented at the event, said Nigerians need to be patriotic to help achieve total sanitation in the country.
