Nigeria, a country endowed with abundant natural resources and a rich cultural heritage, faces the challenge of maintaining a clean and healthy environment.perspective
Historical perspective
The most close-to a cleaner environment Nigeria has come to when it gets to institutionalising environmental cleanness was during the Gen Muhammadu Buhari-Tunde Idiagbon military government of 1983 to 1984.
Then, it was not only compulsory to observe a ‘clean up exercise’ on the last Saturday of every month, it was also an offence to be found roaming the street(s) while the exercise was going on. The compliance was second to none as it was total. Where there were infraction, the new military administration was up in task to prosecute anyone found wanting. Everyone dreaded the consequences and that exercise made a whole lot of difference in the sanitation and environmental sanitation life of the country. That was then.
Following the demise of the regime, subsequent ones, including civilian governments tried their best to enshrine the culture of environmental cleanliness in the country, though with different levels of success but not comparable to what it was when it started.
The effect of this is an increasing habit of open defecation, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, inability to clean drainage, among other forms of reckless behaviour towards the environment. As a result of that, the old rots, cabbage and dirts litter the streets of major cities. views
Professional views
Experts posit that lack of proper sanitation practices has led to an increase in pollution, the spread of diseases, and a decline in the quality of life for millions of Nigerians. Therefore, it would not be incorrect to posit that some diseases the country had contended with in times past would have been avoided if there was a proper environmental sanitation exercise.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2019, only 27 percent of Nigeria’s population had access to basic sanitation services, while 23 per cent practised open defecation which is one major cause of airborne diseases.
Also, UNICEF reported that approximately 124,000 Nigerian children under the age of five die annually due to diarrhea, primarily caused by poor sanitation, unsafe water and inadequate hygiene.
These statistics indicate a dire need for improved sanitation in the country without any delay. That would be a task for the incoming administration so that Nigerians can breathe a new fresh air.
In a bid to curb this some concerned Nigerians have called for concerted efforts to restore and have regard for the environment as a means improving the health of Nigerians and care for the environment.
Mr Olamide Oni, a banker and a member of the Unit Hike, an Abuja-based environment advocacy group, said a clean environment would engender healthier citizens and reduce the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea.
According to him, a healthier population would results in increased productivity, reduced healthcare costs, and improved overall well-being.
Oni said that proper waste management and sanitation practices would contribute to the preservation of the country’s natural resources, such as clean water sources and arable land.
“This, in turn, will support sustainable development, conservation of Nigeria’s rich biodiversity and environmental sustainability,” he said.
He noted that a clean environment would attract tourists and foreign investors and boost the nation’s economy.
Oni said that sanitation sub sector offers opportunities for job creation and income generation through waste collection, recycling, and related industries.
To that extent, he said that a cleaner environment would improve the living conditions of citizens, foster a sense of pride, dignity and social cohesion within communities.
Oni however said that achieving a cleaner Nigeria requires a collective action from the government, private sector, the civil society, and every Nigerian.
He therefore called on the government to develop policies, enforcement and strict sanitation regulations and investment in public sanitation infrastructure.
“Nigerians must take responsibility for their immediate environment by practising proper waste disposal, participating in community clean-up exercises and advocating for better sanitation policies at the local level.”
Oni said that in creating awareness, schools, religious institutions and community organisations should incorporate sanitation education and awareness programmes into their curricula and activities.
Mr Timilehin Oke, an environmental activist and another member of the Hike group said studies had shown that reckless dumping of refuse was contributing to the climate crisis being experienced in various parts of the world.
“We are aware of the environmental challenges we face in this country; we understand that the Ozone layer is being affected by our activities,” he said.
He said that in order to sustain the environment, everyone must work towards zero waste tolerance, adding that plastic wastes in particular must be recycled to keep the environment safe.FCT
A look at FCT
Governments at different levels have adopted various approaches to tackle the challenge posed by waste management, with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, for instance, increasing the number of its environmental mobile courts from eight to 13 located in strategic parts of the territory especially in the city centre.
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) said the increase in the number of courts to facilitate the trial of suspects and handing them appropriate sanction to deter others.
“Residences and individuals without waste bins or the required waste bin type or size will be charged to court. We cannot keep the city clean without appropriate containerisation of wastes,’’ a media report quoted AEPB management as saying.
But the federal government said it is working on a more pragmatic and comprehensive approach towards solving the challenge by developing a national policy for proper management of wastes, particularly the hazardous ones. It is expected that whenever the policy document is out, a number of things would be corrected in the sanitation policy of government.
“The government of Nigeria is deeply committed to its obligations under the Basel Convention on issues of managing hazardous and other wastes,” said the then minister of environment, Mahmood Abubakar.
The convention is an agreement by countries on proper management of hazardous wastes.
According to him, the government has established a permitting scheme, which allows hazardous wastes that Nigeria does not have the local capacity to handle, to be exported to countries that have the technical capacity to manage them in an environmentally-sound manner. Therefore with this development, the chance of a clean, safe environment is not far from being realised in days, weeks, months and years to come.
NAN
