Still On Solid Waste Management And Our Environment

By

Segun Imohiosen

segunimohiosen@yahoo.com

 

 

Most major cities of our country have been bedevilled by this bane called solid waste, especially with the challenge posed in recent years by the pure water packaging palaver. I am most familiar with the city of Lagos and it will be most disappointing to you to discover that the economic heart of the giant of Africa is that dirty on the account of solid waste problem. You will cover your face in shame if you happen to be in Lagos during the raining season- the blocked drainage, the flooded road, the flooded homes etc. That once beautiful city of those days has become a shadow of its old self. One can only use this medium to call on the Federal Ministry of Environment to quickly do something to bring back the lost glory of Lagos and other major cities of Nigeria.

 

An aggressive environmental education coupled with mass mobilisation effort through public communication and campaign will not be out of place at this time to adequately educate the public on the issue of solid waste management. In the cause of this mass mobilisation effort and approach, public communication at different levels-especially from the grass root, will inject into the psyche of the people the idea of ridding our environment of solid waste .The problem of sachet water package is a major challenge to our cities. I am however of a very strong opinion that in spite of the damage done by this nylon packaging, if the Ministry of Environment will be willing to embark on a strong educational and awareness programme, this problem can be solved. Our major cities can still wear a good look as they used to be in those days. Let the people understand why waste should not be dumped in the drainages or even on the major roads at night.

 

I am aware of the initiative of the Lagos state government on PSP from the administration of the former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu till now in relation to removing solid waste both in town and in communities at no cost to the people. As laudable as this initiative is, I still strongly believe that the people have to be properly educated to understand the reason why solid waste should be properly managed. This is achievable through a consistent, concerted and sustained communication effort. Nothing good ever comes easy but through deliberate approach with an intoned desire to achieve, I believe the result will be highly commendable in no time.

 

Solid waste issue has become a major bane and it calls for a drastic attention if we wish to have a lasting solution to this challenge. In the western part of the country, especially among the Yoruba speaking community, there is a popular saying that: ‘‘A ki fodun mewa pile were’, which literally translates to mean that, ‘a man must not practise madness for ten years before becoming out-rightly mad’. The impact of the Ministry should have by now begun to be more visible in the area of solid waste management.

 

In spite of the myriads of challenges facing governments at all levels, the Federal Government is doing its best to make sure that the country thrives among the comity of nations especially in addressing environmental problems.

 

However the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development has so much to do in making meaning of the concerted effort of the Yar’Adua administration. The Minister of Environment has the mandate to ensure that our environment is safe, conducive and healthy enough to live in. She needs to wake up with a lot of gusto in managing the environment in line with popular maxim SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

 

There are a number of environmental concerns that I will like to bring to the fore for utmost and outright attention. However, my major concern at this time borders most urgently on the issue of solid waste and blocked drainages. The former, if critically considered is responsible for the latter.

 

Sometimes, simple approaches to handling some of our major environmental challenges are better result oriented than all the sophisticated technologies of handling environmental problems. I believe without any iota of doubt that the minister by now would have acclimatised herself to the challenges of her new role and responsibility with regard to this terrain called environment. With the recent effort of the ministry in establishing effluent plants in   some parts of the country, being flagged off on the 15th Nov.2007, in Abia state, it suffices to say that the government is beginning to attend to the industrial challenge with regard to the environment. Other paper works ought to have begun to translate to physical activities in the true sense of it.

 

In retrospection, before the then Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) headed by Dr.Evans Aina and later on by the celebrated Dr. Adegoke Adegoroye went into oblivion, the impact of FEPA was avowedly felt in that a lot of seriousness was very noticeable in the activities of the agency. One could almost boldly say that ever since FEPA died, the Ministry has done little or nothing on solid waste management. I can boldly say that the impact of the likes of DG’s such as Dr.Evans Aina and Dr.Adegoke Adegoroye was reasonably felt. These people had a great vision and virile mission for the environment through the agency then. These were visionaries who developed different standards for the agency in order to achieve environmental sustainability or sustainable development. This is therefore not to say that because these erstwhile environmental specialists are no longer in charge environment means nothing could be achieved. I remember in those good old days when facilities inspections were carried out, the appearance of any FEPA vehicles with the agency’s officials used to send jitters to the facility to be inspected then. The compliance level of any facility in all ramifications must be near perfection if not totally perfect. What do we have today? Should we say that the responsibility is too big for the Ministry and as such another agency to handle municipal solid waste be created or something?

 

I would like to say that this responsibility could be made a lot lighter if the Ministry of Environment could be willing to work in conjunction with other relevant institutions with the needed tools and equally make the job less burdensome.

 

Compliance and Enforcement are not inimical on their own, but the inability to put necessary machinery in place to sensitize and educate the people by helping them to see the reason why they should safeguard their environment is more inimical. I believe if the people are carried along through enlightenment and educational programmes that cut across every sphere of the public, the sad story will change. One fundamental issue in all of these is that in a situation where the people are allowed to be involved in matters that have direct implication on their destiny, the interest it will generate among the people will be more wholesome. It is high time the Ministry of Environment embarked on a concerted, consistent and sustained mass mobilisation exercise through strong public communication approach to address this challenge.

 

It will be recalled that the Ministry of Information in those days had various activities that were targeted at the people at different times for different purposes, which were carried out via public communication. The Ministry through either their buses or the Land Rover jeep with the megaphone mounted on it and sometimes the Land Rover jeep had projectors taking to different locations to show films to the people to be able to address matters of very important dimension and in the process set some form of agenda for the people. I just think that if the Honourable Minister could try this simple system and carry along seasoned civil servants and to equally enlist the service of some reputed environmental specialists  and communication practioners in order to work out the modality of operations, that a lot would be achieved.

 

One thing that has not stopped bothering me is the fact that before now, especially in the seventies there was a practice of having a small refuse dump site at the back of the house where solid wastes were dumped and small incineration carried out. The challenge to the environment on the issue of solid wastes was never this pronounced. Should we then say that as we continue to advance and the more sophisticated the Nigerian society is becoming, the more difficult tackling solid waste is also becoming. The Ministry of Environment should take proper interest in this concern. The minister should realise that she has what it takes to make an impact now-for her name to be written in gold rather than being   referred to as one of those that came, left and did nothing tangible.

 

My emphasis on public communication is a bit intoned in that it cuts off the idea of impersonality, which is often associated with radio, TV and other media stuff like that. I wish not to be misunderstood concerning the latter because at some point, a target group among the public will equally be reached through this medium. However, you must realise that communication brought to the doorstep of an individual brings about a personal touch and allows for a good sense of belonging. The propensity is there that in a situation where an individual is allow to see what he has done wrongly and what is expected of him, the likelihood of a better result is possible. Automatically you will be surprised to discover that the people can naturally become community watchdogs as they see themselves as stakeholders. Reaching out directly to the public through other local media: Community Based Organisations (CBO), parliamentary forum (local), town criers stuff and the likes would get to the people furthermore.

 

i have a very strong conviction that for the Ministry of Environment to get this job done, there should be an inter ministerial relationship between the Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Information and Communication in order to work out modality that could help achieve this task. The Vision 2010 of the Green Agenda encapsulates so much on the environment, making the environment sustainable and also achieving sustainable development. But 2010 is almost here but unfortunately the basic challenge on the environment, which has become an eyesore and a big shame to the nation has not been dealt with.

 

I want to suggest that we go back to the use of old tools, which were very well result oriented in those days in solving the problem of municipal solid waste rather than sophisticated tools. It must be borne in mind that the problem of the municipal solid waste is more of an attitude issue, which could better be handled from a sociological perspective.  However, reaching out to the public through a very down to earth means will achieve a better compliance level than using sophisticated means to reaching out and then achieving little or nothing.

 

The entire summation here is not to say that some giant strides have not been taken by the government, I believe that the Ministry of Environment can do better particularly on the issue of solid waste management. I believe that the cost implication will be reasonable and cost effective at the long run. Let me conclude by saying the present administration regardless of the bureaucratic bottleneck or red tape can also make the desired impact in addressing the environment problems, which if not control can be hazardous to people socially and health wise.

 

I just believe the Minister of Environment can do something fast because time is of essence.

 

By Segun Imohiosen

National Press Centre

segunimohiosen@yahoo.com