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By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Oshodi Parapo Foundation has trained several secondary school students in Oshodi -Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State in recycling and environmental sustainability.
The capacity-building workshop on “waste to wealth” had participants drawn from Bolade Junior Grammar School, Mafoluku Junior Grammar School, Mafoluku Senior Grammar School, Ewututu Senior Grammar School, Unity Senior Grammar School, Ikeja Junior Grammar School, Ikeja College, Oshodi Junior High School, Comprehensive Junior High School and Comprehensive Senior High School. Teachers, parents and community members also participated in the workshop.
The convener of the initiative and CEO of Solomons Ltd, Mr. Solomon Edukugho, who presented a paper on how to use waste polythene to make crafts like bags and caps, liquid soap and waste bins, among other recycled products, urged the students to consider venturing into waste recycling business as a viable means of revenue for them as students, schools, communities and their families.
Edukugho said students stand to benefit immensely in the long run from the knowledge as well as joining in the campaign.
He said: “Reckless disposal has led to blockage of sewers and drainage networks and choking of water bodies. Waste will remain part of our lives as long as we exist. While many produce more waste than others, everybody produces it every day as leftover food, cans, plastic bags or garbage. Efficient handling of waste is an important factor in the developmental progress of any nation and the health of its people.
“There are countless opportunities Nigerian government can exploit in its large and growing waste market by creating an innovation to recycle products, which will lift thousands of Nigerians out of poverty.”
On his part, general secretary of the group, Olukayode Lemo, said there has not been enough advocacy on waste management. The government, he said, needs to intensify its campaign and equally invest in waste management.
Lemo stated that, over the years, waste has proven to be a hidden source of wealth: “If you can recycle it, why waste it? This mantra has become the driving force that has moved many from idleness to waste entrepreneurs (wastepreneurs).”
He appealed to Nigerians to stop living in ignorance and turn their attention to a hidden secret inherent in turning waste to wealth. They should get information on how to translate waste to wealth, stressing that the venture is capable of making a lot of Nigerians rich.
He stressed that the initiative had the capacity to expand when the trainees start making money. He also advised Nigerians against disposing their wastes indiscriminately, as recycling of waste could turn the tide against poverty in their lives.
He commended the organization for choosing to train students from Oshodi LGA in how to convert plastics to various things like tiles, convert tyres to furniture and convert food wastes to cooking gas, among others.
Deputy director of environmental services for the local government area, Comrade James Ahoton, a facilitator at the event, advised the participants not to keep the knowledge to themselves but share with their friends and families.
Ahoton charged them: “What you are learning today should not end here, but you should continue to practice it. You should teach your neighbours, families and friends how to make this craft because you can make a living from it.”
He added that the main objective of the project was to ensure sustainable management of waste, which has become a problem in the world, and turn it to wealth. He stressed that it would help both the youth and the old to learn how to make a living with waste like plastics.
Also, the co-ordinator of the United Nations Development Programme’s vocational training institute, Afeez Adesanya, said that the chairman of the local government area Otunba Kehinde Adeola ‘s vision was to empower youths and he has been collaborating with different NGOs to impact the youths and over 7,000 have been trained on various vocations.
Adesanya urged the students who were part of the workshop to take advantage of the knowledge and start something. They should not see it as a dirty job but rather eke a living from it. They can decide to collect the waste during their leisure and make money from it.
He also encouraged them to take a leap from the foundation, which came to give back to the society: “Mack Zuckerberg did samething with the Facebook app. People who grew up in Oshodi founded the organization and they have been impacting their society with the decision to transform it.”
Some of the teachers who participated at the programme described the workshop as good and educative. They said they had learnt how to turn waste to money by recycling plastic and what they have learnt would go a long way in affecting their lives positively.
They thanked the foundation for bringing the workshop to their doorsteps.
