FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
Foundation for Earth Rights Assembly, FERA, yesterday raised concerns over the inefficient waste management system in the country, blaming indiscriminate waste disposal, particularly plastic pollution, as responsible for Nigeria’s environmental challenges.
The Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, noted that plastics, particularly single-use plastic pollution, is visible in all cities of Nigeria due to inefficiency of the waste management system.
Addressing newsmen in Benin during an event organised by Foundation for Earth Rights Assembly in commemoration of the 2025 World Environment Day with the theme, “End Plastic Pollution in Nigeria”, the Executive Director, Foundation for Earth Rights Assembly, Nosa Tokunbor said there is an urgent need to halt plastic pollution in Nigeria and globally.
Tokunbor stated that, Nigerians must reduce their dependence on plastic usage to save the earth and find alternative to plastic, which he noted is harmful to human health.
The environmentalist identified poor waste management as largely responsible for plastic pollution, which he noted contributes immensely to climate change.
“It is estimated that 19-23 million tonnes of plastic leaks into aquatic
ecosystems annually from lakes to rivers to seas from land based sources. Exacerbated by contributions from sea-based sources, this combined plastic leakage has a major impact on ecosystems economies and society, including on human health.
“Countries worldwide are now negotiating an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. Against this backdrop, this year’s World Environment Day will focus on ways to prevent plastic waste from escaping into the environment such as curbing pollution from single-use plastic products and redesigning plastic products so that they last longer,” Tokunbor said.
Tokunbor, who said many countries lack the infrastructure to collect and recycle plastic waste, noted that recycling alone cannot put an end to plastic pollution in the country and globally.
According to him, only nine percent of plastics are actually recycled globally because many products are not designed to be reused and recycled.
Commenting on the way forward, he said tackling the rising environmental plastic pollution in the country requires development co-operation, noting that it can help scale up policy efforts and resource mobilisation.
Tokunbor added that ambitious policies are needed to end plastic pollution in developing countries like Nigeria, saying, ” Developing countries would reap important benefits but may lack sufficient resources to implement them.
“Further international policy action is needed at the global level to end plastic pollution as reflected in UNEA Resolution 5/14 (United Nations Environmental Assembly, 2022) aimed at negotiating an international legally binding agreement,” he said.
