EDUCATION
MONEY IS THE WILL OF EVANGELISM - Olugbenga Adebola
By Leo Ezekiel and Miles Olu
Speaking as the chairman of the Chartered Institute
of Environment and Public Health Management of Nigeria (Creating value for
healthy Environment) Annual International Environmental Health Management
Stakeholders’ conference with the theme “Integrating Environmental Concerns Into
Waste To Wealth Project and Challenges of Urban Sanitations in the 21st
century and as well as the induction of new members at the Lagos Airport Hotel,
Awolowo way, Ikeja, Lagos. Environmentalist, Olugbenga Adebola told the eclatic
audience that money is the will of evangelism, adding that nobody goes without
money.
Speaking to the participants with his good-will
remarks, he gladly welcomed all and sundry to the conference. He noted that the
conference did not attract government functionaries most especially those at
the Legislative arm of the government.
He, however advised the organizers to be
more proactive in future when planning the hosting of such an important
knowledge driven conference, adding that there are lots of benefits, to gain
from the crudité scholars of University of Ibadan, Oyo state and University of
Benin, Benin City, Edo State.
He generally submitted that the theme is key and
apt at a time like this in the body polity of the nation. He said that the
institute needs funds to function at full capacity at all times so that the
main aims and objectives of establishing the institute would be achieved optimally.
Speaking as the lead presenter of the participants professor Anthony Durojaye
Ologhobo of the department of the animal nutrient and feed toxicology of the
faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo state
presented a heavily researched technical paper that came in II parts. Of a
truth professor Ologbodo did not disappoint the participants with his lucid
choice of good technical English with which he carried all the participants
along that waste management is a huge opportunity of creating employments and
putting bread on the table on the practitioners.
He challenged the powers that
be to adequately and functionally collaborate with the owners of the institute,
adding the institute is in actual fact assisting the powers that be providing
solutions for the management of waste. He gladly informed the audience that
there is a proper, effective and efficient way that waste management had been
applied at Songhai in Cotonu. He told the audience that the present Hon
minister of Transport Amechi Rotimi, while he was on the saddle as rivers state
governor that he visited Songhai and that he appreciated what he saw at Songhai
and he concurred that such waste management should be incorporated in Rivers state,
adding that it was built in Warri area of Delta state, but very sadly that Warri
has been functioning at a very low capacity.
Prof. Ologhobo generally made his
technical paper presentation to the participants very,easy and simple with the
aids of slides, whereby so many refuse dump sites and trucks were shown, adding
that there are five components of human existence. Lithosphere, Hydrosphere,
Biosphere, Atmosphere, and Troposphere. He said that there are solid and liquid
wastes around and that a research work was carried out on waste management in
Ibadan for four categories of human beings. Those who live government reserved
area, high income, middle income and low income and that the research works
produced various indices of life-styles in the management of waste.
Speaking
Prof. Ologhobo said that the name of the institute should actually be legally
and formally registered with Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja as that
would open doors for financial assistance from all nooks and cranny.
He said
that there are many foreign industrial sectors that be interested in partnering
with the institute in all areas of waste management. He said that if the waste
around us are not properly controlled and managed that there may be outbreak of
dangerous epidemics as a result of the air we breathe regularly.
He submitted
that industries and stakeholders should be compelled to be heavily involved in
the management of waste because waste generates uncommon monies for the
practitioners. Speaking as a technical paper presenter to the gathering Professor
Daniel Olorunfemi, the pioneer Head of Department of Environmental Management and
Technology Faculty of Life Science, University of Benin, Ugbowa campus, Benin
city, Edo state presented an uncommon researched waste management in all
ramifications, adding that an American environmentalist Margret Mead (December 16,
1901- November 19, 1968) said that ‘We won’t have a society if we destroy the
environment.
He said that there are water pollution and air pollution. He said
that the entire globe is a world junk that had affected human impacts on food
insecurity, since the beginning of mankind.Prof. Olorunfemi told the audience
that as he was driving in from Benin city in a vehicle with air-conditioner and
that when he arrived at Ojota, he saw a heavy smoke emitting into the air adding
that the smoke is dangerous to all and sundry because of the deadly gas at the Ojota
dump site burning has produced.
He quickly made a clarion call to the governor
of Lagos state, Mr. Akinwunmi Dapo Ambode to quickly rise up and tackle
challenges so that many innocent souls won’t fall a victim of untimely death.
He
also made another clarion call to the owners of the institute that they need to
make noise in the media be it; print, broadcast, television, radio and social
media platform. He said that he was really shell shocked that there are no
broadcast reporters covering such a worthy and laudable conferences.
He buttressed
that the institute needs to champion her issues through advocacy of reaching
the federal government, state government, and local government because they are
the powers that decide what parameter to be applied by the stakeholders of
institute. He said that people should have a rethinking of the waste concept
from waste to wealth, that waste is a hidden treasury of wealth, generations,
but very sadly lots of Nigerians are not properly informed about the magnitude
of wealth abound in the recycling of waste to become wealth , refuse to be
source. He said that he has tagged waste management as ACTION;
·
Adequacy
·
Conceptualization
·
Total commitment
·
Improvement
·
Opportunities
·
Network
He said that waste could be recycled through the
conversion of the waste to more purposeful ends meet. Prof. Olorunfemi said
that not all materials can be recycled as they are physical, chemical and
mechanical refuse, adding that there are compost plant at Ikorodu for the
treatment of market plant at Ikosi market, Oluoshun –Ojota dump site are not
properly recycled. He said that they are some challenges as there is no
national waste management plant in Nigeria and if any is available in any
state, it may likely not fully implemented.
He recommended that they should be
public awareness, and there has to be a house –to- house collection of waste,
there should be public lectures, rallies, road walk, the national assembly
needs to know of the existence of the institute there should be t-shirt branded
with the institutes name and logo and lastly there should be emergency
declaration on waste management.
There was to be ways of recycling waste
products, there should be a marriage of the academia and industrial sector and
there should be noise efficiency at all levels of the three tiers of the
government. Speaking with journalist a Lecturer at the Department of Environmental
the Management and Technology Faculty of Life science, University of Benin,
Benin City, Ugbowo campus, Dr Chuka Ameachi said that the annual conference of
the institute is apt, timely, and inspiring adding that they in the academia
have been carrying on uncommon researches on waste management and other related
research applications for the advancement of humanity.
He said that the
industrial sector really got to be their partners making sure that the researches
carried out are effectively, efficiently, and objectively applied because they the industrial sector
have the resources to finance the
findings of the research. He submitted that if the industrial sector does not
key into their academic efforts that the whole essence of engaging in the
research would be defeated. He said that the national assembly members have
lots of roles to play in making sure that the environment is a better place to
live by all and sundry.
He also concurs that the institute really got to
make-noise by engaging the media to help in disseminating the information to
the general public and overall, he commended the organizers for hosting the
annual conference.
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