The Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev) Nigeria has backed the Lagos State Government ban of Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) in the state.

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Dr Leslie Adogame, the Executive Director, SRADev Nigeria, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Adogame described the decision as a monumental step in protecting the environment and public health.

Adogame noted that the ban, which followed the successful earlier ban on styrofoam, reflected the state’s unwavering commitment to addressing the growing crisis of plastic pollution in Lagos megacity.

He said that the National Plastic Waste Regulations 2023 by NESREA soon to be gazetted enshrines a ban on similar single-used plastics effective from 2025.

Adogame added that the Federal Executive Council recently approved the ban on SUPs in all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies with immediate effect.

“SRADev Nigeria also recognizes the peculiarity of Lagos State as a major producer of SUPs with less than 20 percent recycling capacity and should necessarily adopt stricter measures to curb the menace.

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“Against this backdrop, SRADeV Nigeria, being the foremost campaigner and advocate for a safer plastic free environment, hereby wholly support the Lagos State outright ban on SUPs effective from January 2025 especially, as this is long overdue.

“While the initial ban on styrofoam raised concerns from businesses and stakeholders on time adequacy, we believe that enough awareness and consultation with the key stakeholders as well as consistent advocacy for a ‘Just transition’ has been ongoing for the past four years,” Adogame said.

He noted that many African cities with lesser severe plastic pollution challenges had taken similar moves in the past 10 years .

He added that Lagos State – a mega city, could not continue to promote the circular economy paradigm and its climate change commitment side by side the current production and use of SUPs in 2024.

“Therefore, it is imperative and overtly timely for the state government to declare the phase-out of single-use plastics effective from January 2025, to ensure a cleaner and healthier future for all residents,” Adogame said.

He emphasized that majority of all the alternatives were available and where the alternatives were not readily available, it means there should be no production of such plastics in view of their danger.

“Noteworthy also, the whole world by December 2024, a new Global Plastic Treaty is going to be finalized in South Korea of which Nigeria is playing a very important role and the Treaty having a major focus on placing a ban on SUPs as well.

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“Therefore, Nigeria has to go the way of the global community when it comes to SUPs.

“As you already know, that single-use plastics are a leading contributor to environmental degradation, littering waterways, choking wildlife, and disrupting ecosystems in Lagos- a known Centre of Excellence,” Adogame said.

Adogame quoted Mr Victor Fabunmi, Manager of Programmes, SRADev as saying that the current cost of inaction and over production of SUPs had immensely contributed to the over-burdened land resource and waste management infrastructure in Lagos State.

He said that SRADeV Nigeria and its allies (GAIA Nigeria) stood by the state government to adopt an enforcement strategy that prioritize plastic hotspots from production to use.

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He urged the government and civil society organizations to create aggressive awareness in all major plastic hotspots and consumer outlets such as, supermarkets, eateries and shopping malls, et cetera, before the end of the year 2024 to facilitate immediate voluntary compliance.

“At SRADev, we believe this policy will spur innovation in alternative packaging and provide new opportunities for green businesses to adopt environmentally friendly practices.

“While we look forward to the state’s pragmatic steps to monitoring and enforcement, we remain committed to supporting the state government, local communities, and businesses throughout the transition.

“We will ensuring that no one is left behind as we work together towards a greener future,” he said.