In the last nine years, over 30,000 students, youths and women have been trained by the Foundation for a Better Foundation (FABE foundation), on environmental sustainability skills through its EcoschoolNg project.
The founder of the foundation and convener of the EcoschoolNg project, Mrs Temitope Okunnu, who disclosed this at the project’s 2024 closeout ceremony in Lagos, said the foundation, founded in 2016, was borne out of a vision to empower young people with knowledge, skills, and mindset to become champions of sustainability, stewards of the environment, and pioneers of the circular economy.
She said: “We are celebrating the completion of a programme and witnessing the birth of a new generation of eco-conscious leaders, climate advocates, green entrepreneurs and Eco-Ambassadors ready to take bold steps in protecting our environment and shaping a more sustainable future for Nigeria and beyond.
“Over the past 10 months, these students have been engaged in hands-on learning experiences, gaining real-world insights into waste-to-wealth solutions, climate action strategies, conservation practices, and eco-preneurial business models.
READ ALSO: Group urges INEC to resist pressure to recall senator Natasha
“20 secondary schools across different communities engaged in sustainability education, with hundreds of students trained in environmental responsibility.”
Addressing the participants of the EcoschoolNg project, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Mrs Titilayo Oshodi, urged the students to be worthy eco-ambassadors.
“Since 2016, EcoschoolNg project has trained and empowered over 30,000 students, youths, and women, a testament to what happens when knowledge meets action. You students have learned how to turn plastic waste into useful materials, how food scraps can become rich compost, and how even an old tire can have a second life.
“You are the superheroes our planet needs. Just like how superheroes save the day, you are saving our environment, one recycled bottle, one compost heap, one eco-garden at a time. This is what the circular economy is all about, not just reducing waste, but turning it into something valuable.
“The skills you have learned here are tools for life. You can be the generation that makes Lagos, Nigeria, and the world more sustainable,” Oshodi said.
On his part, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Dr Gaji Tajudeen, represented by Mrs Bolaji Badru, commended the foundation’s efforts in training the children.
“We are here to celebrate the remarkable success of the EcoschoolNg project, an inspiring initiative of FABE foundation, which has been at the forefront of advancing environmental sustainability in Lagos State.
“This ground-breaking project has not only instilled eco-conscious values in young minds but has also empowered students and teachers with practical skills in sustainable living thereby paving a way for a greener, healthier and more prosperous future.
Partners and sponsors of the EcoschoolNg project, the Programmes Manager at Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation, Mrs Abiodun Owo, who commended the innovation, said: “We are very proud of what FABE Foundation is doing with young people on environmental sustainability.
“The impact of this training will result in a greener environment, more trees planted, where we have more organic foods being produced. We will no longer have single-use products, but then those products can also be put into other use.”
