Environment

Climate Change: FCT schools appeal for safer environment

Published

6 years ago

June 10, 2019

No fewer than 30 schools on Monday converged on Abuja to lend their voices on the challenges of climate change, calling on the government to help maintain safer environment for all.

They said that it was important for government at all levels to increase budget for environment to address the problems climate change posed to man and the environment.

The students called for government interventions in addressing the problems at the Abuja Secondary Schools Environmental Consciousness Conference (ASSEC) organised by Clean Technology Hub, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO).

Sumayya Musa-Imam from Government Girls Secondary School (GSS) Dutse said the conference had informed students on the problems of climate change and the best approach to addressing it.

She called on the government to make available more funds to tackle the problem of gas flaring, deforestation, plastic pollution and others that could result to climate change.

“The conference is apt; students are being encouraged to proffer actionable solutions to the problems because if we don’t do it now the human beings may go into extinction.

“As a school, we have designed a device that can transform plastic to crude fuel. We saw the problem in our country and we decided to produce this device that can curb unemployment, epileptic power supply and the rest.

“We now know that we can convert our wastes to wealth by processing the plastic rather that disposing it to litter the environment.’’

Also, Isaac Ero, an SS2 student of GSS Kubwa said government at all levels should ensure that the environment was safe to live in.

Ero noted that the students would propagate the information on the danger of what climate change could cause to existence.

He said researches would henceforth be done to make the environment safer.

“On our part as a school, we have produced an alternating smoke absorbing machine which can be used for emitting smoke from the kitchen or industry.

“What this does is that if you don’t want smoke to go outside, you can dissolve it in water and it can also be used to remove toxic waste from the surrounding.’’

Earlier, Mrs Ifeoma Malo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Clean Technology Hub, said secondary schools were targeted to engage them in actions on climate change.

Malo said the organisation would work with schools across the country on ways to collaborate with stakeholders and government at all levels to solve the problems.

“We are engaging the students to see what kind of climate actions they can take within their communities. We do this to get people to take climate action.

“We ask the schools to come up with projects to mitigate climate damages in the environment. With this we see that children have started doing great things in this direction. If we don’t begin to address this, we might be in danger.

“We talk about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but we cannot only be talking about education, health if the earth that is supposed to provide us the platform is not in existence.’’

She, therefore, called on the government to begin to put money aside as part of the solutions to climate change.

In addition, Mr Amara Nwankpa, Director, Public Policy, Shehu Yar’Adua Foundation said it was time Nigerians begin to think about the consequences of their actions in depleting the ozone layers.

Nwankpa explained that Nigerians must begin to look at the environment on ways to protect and conserve it in order to make it habitable for all.

The schools represented at the conference are Government Secondary Schools Dutse, Dutse-Alhaji, Karu, Kubwa, Zuba, Garki Area 10, Nyanya, Wuse and Solid Rock International School, among others.

At the award presentation, GSS Dutse-Alhaji came first; GSS Dutse came second while GSS Jikwoyi came third on the project each school showcased.

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Environment

Royal Commonwealth Society Kicks Off Clean Oceans Campaign in Nigeria

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Commonwealth Games Nigeria, has officially launched the Clean Oceans Plastic Awareness Campaign in Nigeria, aiming to combat the growing threat of plastic pollution across the Commonwealth.

The campaign was flagged off on Wednesday at Jabi Lake, Abuja, with a strong message of environmental responsibility, especially for Nigeria’s youth.

The initiative is designed to raise awareness about plastic pollution, encourage proper waste disposal, and promote environmental stewardship—particularly around the country’s waterways.
Speaking at the launch, the Country Director and CEO of the Royal Commonwealth Society Nigeria, Mr. Blackson Olaseni Bayewumi, emphasized that the campaign is part of a global Commonwealth-wide effort to curb plastic waste and protect ocean ecosystems.

He highlighted the critical role of sports as a tool for engaging young people and driving meaningful change in environmental behavior.

“The Commonwealth accounts for one-third of the world’s ocean waters, and nearly half of its member countries are Small Island Developing States that suffer disproportionately from plastic pollution,” Bayewumi noted.

According to him, the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign aims to prevent at least one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.

The campaign blends grassroots education with direct community action, urging people to reduce their plastic footprint, embrace alternatives, and promote cleaner oceans.

A major component of the campaign is its integration with the King’s Baton Relay—a hallmark of the build-up to the Commonwealth Games. In a groundbreaking move, the 2025-2026 relay will spotlight sustainability and environmental protection, beginning with its launch by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025. The Baton Relay is now on a 500-day journey across all Commonwealth nations and territories ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

In each country, including Nigeria, the Baton Relay will bring together youth, athletes, local communities, and environmental groups for a week of activities—most notably, organized plastic clean-up drives.

The urgency of this campaign is underlined by alarming statistics: the world produces 400 million tonnes of plastic every year, with over 12 million tonnes ending up in the oceans.
Without urgent action, scientists predict that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea.

Plastic waste poses a deadly threat to marine life—suffocating birds, fish, and mammals while damaging key ecosystems.

Moreover, as plastics break down into microplastics due to ocean erosion and sunlight, they enter our food, water, and even air.

Although the full health implications of microplastics remain unknown, early research suggests they may disrupt vital bodily functions—and there is currently no method to fully remove them from the environment or our bodies.
The campaign supports multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:

SDG 12: Responsible, Consumption and ProductionSDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 14: Life Below Water

It also reflects the core principles of the Commonwealth Charter, especially: Article 9: Sustainable Development. Article 10: Protection of the Environment and Article 14: Recognition of the Needs of Small States

As the world grapples with escalating environmental challenges, the Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign represents a significant step in uniting nations, communities, and young leaders under a shared mission: to protect our oceans, preserve biodiversity, and build a cleaner, safer world for future generations.

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