If we all begin to take responsible actions in protecting the environment, we would have gone a long way in bequeathing a habitable environment for future generations.
By Ishaya Ibrahim
A non-governmental organisation, I-Rep Mother Nature, has launched a campaign against indiscriminate disposal of plastic bottles plus an advocacy on tree planting in some grassroots communities of Lagos State.
The campaign, targeted at sensitizing children, teenagers and youths on the dangers of littered plastic bottles in the environment, was first taken to Irede, a coastal community in the Apapa Wharf area of Lagos State on April 18, 2024.
The Irede outreach, supported by Greengrants Fund, featured short films, music, poetry and stage plays all with themes around climate change. They portrayed the harm done to fishes and other marine life through indiscriminate disposal of plastic bottles which eventually end up in swamps, rivers, seas and other water bodies. They also show the harm done to man through consumption of fishes that are exposed to harmful chemicals used in the production of bottles, leading to all kinds of ailments, including cancer, liver failure, kidney infections, and many other non-communicable diseases.
Prolific filmmaker and environmentalist, Willie Workman Oga, who also is the executive director of I-Rep Nature, said climate activism is a task everyone should be concerned about because of the high stakes involved.
Oga, who uses his artistic work to call attention to the dangers of climate change, for which he has won several international awards and nominations, said everything that affects the environment in any part of the world, affects us.
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“Wherever there is the effect of climate change, I feel it too. So that makes me a global citizen to be concerned about my environment.”
Oga explains why the outreach was targeted at young people. “If you catch them young and get them to get use to the mitigating effect of climate change early in their lives, they will grow up protecting the environment more effectively.”
He said a song he did – De-carbonize, highlighted that fact. “ I did a song that was nominated in an international award -De-carbonize. It is about the environment and the effect of extraction from the soil. The extractions trigger earthquake, erosion, landslide etc. In that song, the younger folks were asking of the action of the older generation and accusing us that we’ve enjoyed the better part of mother nature and as we grow older, what kind of future are we leaving for them.”
Oga said if we all begin to take responsible actions in protecting the environment, we would have gone a long way in bequeathing a habitable environment for future generations.
Hear him: “A lot of youths and teenagers never knew about some of this mitigation from plastic bottles, the harmful effect, what it does to aquatic life and we still end up eating some of these aquatic lives and it endangers our health as human beings. They can even pick plastic bottles for recycling and earn money.”
A representative of Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) at the event, Oluwaseyi Oyewole spoke on the dangers of indiscriminate disposal of plastic bottles.
He told the kids: “If you throw plastic bottles away, when it rains, the plastic ends up in our water. It is that same water you are going to get fishes from. If plastic bottles are clustered in the water bodies, do you know it affects your fishing. It can kill fish in the river, and at the same time, it still affects we humans.”
He told the kids about recycling and how they could make money from it. “From this water bottles, after drinking them, you put them in our trash bag, a purple nylon. When they are much, you can sell them to people who use them for reclying. They use it to make bags, jacket, clothes, etc.”
A journalist and environmental activist, Dele Ojo, spoke on the benefits of tree planting.
He said trees help in cooling the environment, reduce flooding and erosion and balance the ecosystem through photosynthesis.
Her said: “We need to plant trees. We don’t have to rely on nature because nature planted trees for us. When God created heaven and earth, he created trees too. Trees are very important for our environment. For a long time, human beings have cut down trees to do a lot of things. And that thing has been affecting us. That is why you hear about climate change. It is because of human activities.”
The highlight of the event was the planting of trees in the Irede community, which saw young members of the community playing major roles during the event.