In line with the Federal Ministry of Environment drive to increase youth participation in environmental policies and management, the Honourable Minister of State for Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, hosted a group of young environmentalist in Nigeria to discuss issues pertinent to young people in the environmental sector.
The delegation of young professionals
was led by Adesua Obasuyi; the Executive Director of Sustainable African
Cities and Communities Initiative and included ten (10) other young
environmentalists. In her opening remarks, Ms Adesua highlighted the objectives
of the meeting which she said were to discuss the National Policy on Solid
Waste Management which was validated in 2017 and is yet to be approved by the Federal
Executive Council. Also, she stated that the meeting amongst other things was
to discuss youth participation in policy formulation and implementation in the
Ministry.
The Honourable Minister, in her welcome address, stated that she
is impressed with the work the delegation is doing particularly in the area of
advocacy on environmental issues and assured the delegation that the Federal
Ministry of Environment will work with youth to strengthen advocacy on
environmental matters and promote projects that have positive impacts on the
most vulnerable groups in the country. With regard to the National Policy on Solid Waste Management, the
Honourable Minister said she is aware that the Policy document is awaiting
approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC). She assured the delegation
that the FEC memo would be ready before the end of December 2019. She also informed
her guests that there will be an amendment of Extended Users Responsibility
section of the policy.
Among the delegation, Oladosu Adenike; Ambassador of Fridays For Future
Nigeria, Ibrahim Joseph; Programme Manager Global Initiative for Food Security
and Ecosystem Preservation, Prisca Offiong; Programme Officer Climate Change
Network of Nigeria and Idehai Rita of Eco Barter, enquired about the state of
the climate change bill, the status of coal mining license issuance, how the
ministry will support innovative ideas by young people and how the ministry will
incorporate the informal sector in waste management policy respectively.
In response to the state of the climate change bill and how
innovative ideas will be supported, Mrs Ikeazor stated that the Ministry is
working with the Department of Climate Change (DCC) to host a National Climate
Change Incubation Hub, as a build-up on the regional hubs organised by DCC and
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Also, she noted that due
diligence is done in respect to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before
coal mining licenses are issued. Furthermore, she said, the Ministry is working
to empower the informal workers in the waste management sector to improve their
efficiency in waste collection.
In conclusion, the Honourable Minister assured the delegation of its continuous support and engagement in terms of capacity building and collaboration. She stated that the Ministry is the custodian of laws, while the youth are the drivers and implementers of the laws.