Environment
Dr Yusuf Nadabo, the Director, African Climate Reporters has called on Nigerians to change the culture of indiscriminate refuse disposal to save the environment from disasters and outbreak of diseases.
Nadabo made the call in Kaduna on Tuesday in an interactive session with stakeholders, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, volunteers and experts in the environment sector.
According to him, poor awareness on the dangers posed by plastic and nylon is the reason behind the wide spread of plastic waste in the society.
He said there was need to raise more public awareness on the dangers of throwing wastes, especially plastic bags and other plastic wastes on the streets.
“If you go to car parks, fuel stations, football stadia and train stations, you will see many plastic and nylon all over the place.
“It is the responsibility of every citizen to save the environment against all forms of environmental challenges which could threaten the lives of human and animals,” he said.
Nadabo said that there was an estimated one million plastic bags used every minute, adding that a single plastic bag could take about 1,000 years to degrade.
Responding, the Comrade Jibril Mohammed, the National Chairman, Kaduna Metro Environment Awareness, stressed the need to support recycling companies across northern Nigeria.
He said that government needed to help most of the recycling companies with steady electricity to reduce the menace of plastic pollution.
Mohammed pointed out that throwing garbage anywhere posed a great danger to human beings, animals and plants; creating a mess and negatively affecting the appearance of the surrounding.
He said that rotting and stinking garbage invite hungry animals, flies and other insects to feed on them, thereby, spreading diseases,” he said.
Mr Paul Isaac, Team Leader, Save the Environment said that throwing garbage anywhere was an open invitation to breeding parasites, pathogens and ultimately, the spread of various harmful diseases.
Isaac called on Nigerians to change their attitude of blocking water passages and to stop constructing on waterways to avert flood and other environmental challenges. (NAN)
-Nov 12, 2019 @13:25 GMT |
Tags: Refuse disposal: NGO director calls for attitudinal change
