Environment Day: YMCA Calls On Government to Evolve Policy For Safer Environment

Nath Gbaoron, Lafia

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), an NGO, in collaboration with Association of Small Scale Agro and Producers in Nigeria, has called on the Nasarawa State Government to evolve policies and actions to ensure a safer and healthy environment.

The group made the call during a road walk to the Nasarawa state Ministry of Environment for sensitisation of the public on the danger of plastic pollution on Thursday in Lafia, to mark the World Environment Day.

Adamu explained that the 2023 World Environment Day with a theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution” which is being celebrated was supported by African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) through Oxfam.

Mr. Ango Adamu, Executive Secretary, YMCA Mada Hills, said they were in the Ministry of Environment to express their support for what the ministry was doing in relation to climate change and other environmental issues.

He said the essence of the event was to remind the ministry of environment, the state, Nigeria and the world that people’s actions on plastic pollution matters, adding that the world should unite and end plastic pollution.

According to him, it is a known fact that over 400 million tons of plastic were being produced every year around the world and meant to be reused but only about 10 percent is recycled.

Adamu said that about 90 percent of un-recycled plastic ended up in the streams, rivers, lakes and eventually oceans thereby polluting the environment.

“These plastics release a lot of toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment because they contain hazardous substances which are a threat to human and marine lives.

“We request that the ministry should advise the state government to team up with the federal ministry of environment to translate plastic solution commitment to concrete solutions that can create job opportunities for our youths.

“The Ministry should also liaise with the national policy on waste management through the federal ministry of environment to construct plastic recycling plants that can contain plastic waste in the state,” he said.

Adamu called on the government, business owners and civil society to work together and take action to reduce plastic waste so that a healthy and safer environment could be achieved.

Responding, Mr Yusuf Madiko, Permanent Secretary, state ministry of environment, said the care for the environment could not be over emphasized given that whatever affects the environment affects human and marine lives.

Madiko said in light of this, the Nasarawa state government introduced monthly sanitation and banned the use of charcoal as part of measures to curtail indiscriminate felling of trees.

The permanent Secretary, while thanking YMCA and others for the good job done in the state, said the state had established a waste factory at Angwan Rere, Lafia local government, noting that once it fully takes up it would cater for recycling of waste.