Authorities of Epe Local Council of Lagos State have applauded a group of environmental activists and climate crusaders, the Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF), for its methane reduction project aimed at fostering green, healthier agricultural practices, and curbing the negative impacts of global warming in the council, state and Nigeria.
Chairman of the council, Surah Animashaun, who spoke during the unveiling of a baseline report on Multi-Solving Action for Methane Reduction in Nigeria (MAMRN) at the council’s headquarters, represented by the Vice Chairman, Sikiru Adeniyi Owolomose, commended CODAF, a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), for the initiative that birthed the waste materials recovery facility in Epe community.
He said: “Waste to wealth initiative remains crucial for a better environment and sustainable future and as such, organisations, institutions, groups, communities and individuals should be encouraged to embark on projects targeted at gathering wastes (including plastics) for recycling, which will improve the environment.”
In his goodwill message, Executive Director of CODAF, Richard Benin, stressed the importance of green and sustainable agricultural practices, saying that Epe was chosen for the MAMRN project due to its high methane generation activities as an agricultural and fishing hub in Lagos State.
Also speaking, Senior Programme Officer with Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), Victor Fabunmi, restated the need for sustainable waste management through awareness creation and education in transforming wastes to resources, adding that implementation of such programmes was ongoing in Lagos, Jos, Edo, Abuja and other parts of the country where proper waste management has become a huge challenge.
On her part, CODAF Programme Manager, Environment, Melody Enyinnaya, who presented the initiative’s objectives, activities and expected outcomes, explained that the MAMRN project addresses one of the most potent, yet under-addressed greenhouse gases affecting the climate system.
“The project takes a holistic approach by targeting methane emissions in the waste sector, while simultaneously creating co-benefits for local communities and their ecosystems, just as it intends to train farmers on the use of non-petroleum-based chemicals in their farming activities,” she stated.
The project aims to promote zero waste initiatives and awareness, leading to methane and waste reduction; establish a material recovery facility to enhance waste management and diversion of waste from dumpsites and landfills, and mobilise community action against waste-to-energy projects.
Enyinnaya said that the project, for which CODAF had already spent over N20 million, would significantly reduce methane emissions in the waste sector, thereby improving air quality and public health in the community, while the construction and operation of the MRF will create thousands of green jobs and promote waste sorting, reusing, recycling and composting.
The project, according to her, will also improve the agricultural sector and further empower farmers on the use of compost for an increased crop yield, just as residents will benefit from training programmes on zero waste.
In his presentation, Chief Research Officer and Senior Lecturer, National Centre for Energy and Environment, Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), University of Benin, Dr Chukwudi Nnaemeka Emeribe, explained that the survey targeted households, farmers, waste pickers, market and local council officials, adding that the team visited waste and landfill sites, composting facilities and examined existing waste management policies.
He said that most of the targeted groups expressed the willingness and readiness to adopt and explore the green alternative in their agricultural practices to engender a sustainable ecology and a brighter future.
