The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has reinforced its commitment to environmental sustainability by expanding its school-based recycling and climate education programme to 14 public schools in Lagos.

The initiative underscores the increasing role of the private sector in complementing government efforts to improve environmental education, strengthen waste management practices and encourage climate-conscious behaviour among schoolchildren.

The expansion in partnership with TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Plc was announced during this year’s Environment Day commemoration at Aje Comprehensive Senior High School, Yaba, where recycling bins were donated to participating schools alongside climate education sessions, an inter-school environmental challenge and a volunteer sensitisation campaign.

Speaking, the Director-General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Dr Joseph Onoja, said the initiative was designed to promote environmental sustainability and inspire climate action among young people through educational and community-based activities.

He said the event featured climate change awareness and action sessions, an interactive school environmental challenge, volunteer environmental sensitisation activities and the donation of recycling bins to selected public schools, adding that the partnership aims to encourage environmental stewardship and greater public participation in protecting the environment.

The Managing Director of TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc, Wilfried Konde, said that through its partnership with NCF, the company aims to raise a generation of environmentally conscious citizens equipped to contribute to Nigeria’s sustainability and climate objectives.

The initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on Climate Action and aims to promote environmental stewardship among young people through practical sustainability efforts.

Konde said the programme, which started around the company’s service stations in Apapa, Surulere and Victoria Island, had reached 10 public schools before the latest expansion, engaging about 500 students through environmental education, recycling bin donations and inter-school clean-up activities.

He added that the initiative incorporates a monitoring system in which recyclable materials are collected twice per school term, with support from environmental club coordinators and district environmental officers. According to him, participating schools collected a cumulative 12,596 kilogrammes of recyclable waste between December 2024 and June 2026.

“As a responsible corporate organisation, we encourage our communities, especially young people, to embrace sustainable practices and play an active role in building a cleaner, healthier environment,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the General Manager, Country Services, TotalEnergies Companies in Nigeria, Adesua Adewole, described environmental sustainability as a key pillar of the company’s operations, noting that its climate initiatives align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She said this year’s World Environment Day reinforces the need for stronger climate action, adding that environmental stewardship remains a priority for TotalEnergies across the more than 130 countries where it operates.

Adewole noted that the company, which marks its 70th anniversary in Nigeria this year, has embedded environmental responsibility into its operations since opening its first service station on Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba, in 1956.

According to her, the school recycling initiative is designed to instil proper waste management and recycling habits among pupils while encouraging them to become advocates of environmental sustainability in their schools and communities. “Our goal is to raise a generation of young people equipped with the knowledge and habits needed to build a more sustainable future,” she said.

She said teachers in participating schools had embraced the programme, while the Nigerian Conservation Foundation provides technical support through environmental education and practical demonstrations on protecting the environment.

Adewole disclosed that the company had previously distributed recycling bins to 10 public schools and, with the addition of four schools in Yaba and Apapa, had increased the number of beneficiary schools to 14.

She added that TotalEnergies would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders to expand environmental awareness programmes aimed at promoting responsible waste management and climate resilience among young Nigerians.

Students of Aje Comprehensive Senior High School took part in an interactive environmental challenge designed to promote practical climate action through waste segregation, recycling and responsible disposal practices before the recycling bins were formally presented to the school.