David Williams
The Ekiti State Government has stressed it’s commitment to achieving a greener,cleaner and healthier environment in the State.
The Chief of Staff to the Ekiti State Governor, Hon. Niyi Adebayo made the pledge in Ado-Ekiti after a visit to sites where samples are being collected for the Waste Wise City Programme in the State which include the Ekiti Dump Site and the Ekiti State Waste Management Authority Complex.
Mr Adebayo who emphasized that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s is deliberate about achieving it’s objective of ensuring the environment is safe for all residents, also restated the commitment of the administration in tapping into the wealth-generating potentials of waste in the State.
He called on all stakeholders to do their part just as the government is doing through the massive investment of Government in the sector stressing that Ekiti has set the stage for others to follow.
In her remarks , the State Commissioner for Environment, Erelu Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, emphasized that “This is not about expensive waste-to-energy plants. We need policies to cut plastic use at the source.”
Also speaking,the Special Adviser to the Governor, State Capital Development Authority, Hon. Tade Aluko, stressed that Ekiti would not wait on the key issues as Governor Oyebanji’s administration has invested heavily in ecological projects and green economy signalling climate action as a core priority. ,noting that “without action, humanity faces extinction”
He noted that the project unites Urban Development, Environment, and Land agencies—a collaboration he hailed as “commendable” by state leaders.
he Project Coordinator, UN-Habitat for Southern Nigeria and Technical Advisor Geographic Information System and Land Management, Hon.Akintobi Olusanmi urged residents to adopt “greener habits” by reducing plastic use, separating waste for easier recycling, reusing containers, and choosing digital over paper.
He explained that after the audit concludes, Ekiti will host stakeholder talks to finalize evidence-based policies noting that if successful, this model could reshape waste management across Nigeria—turning trash into opportunity while cooling the State’s temperatures.
In his remarks the Project Operationalization Coordinator of Waste Wise City Tool Survey, Mr Olamide Olajide stressed that Ekiti State is the only state in the federation that has insisted on carrying out the coordination of the survey to ensure adequate reports are collated for easy implementation.
This is because they are familiar with the terrain of the state, rather than allowing a stranger to develop a policy for the state.
Commending the Ekiti State Governor’s massive investment in the sector, he noted that Ekiti has set the stage for others to follow.
Preliminary reports from Day 5 of the intensive 9-day programme, revealed startling data indicating that kitchen waste and plastic films dominate the landfills, demanding urgent policy reform and not just engineering fixes.
Facing prohibitive city-wide survey costs, Ekiti’s team adopted a targeted method: 90 randomly selected households represent diverse communities, from high-density areas to plastic recycling hubs.
This ensures unbiased data while capturing the full waste stream—including plastics scavenged before official collection. Preliminary results show kitchen waste (food scraps) and thin plastic films (bags, wrappers) as top offenders. Recyclables like bottles are undercounted in household bins—scavengers divert them early.
On the tour of sampling venues—Ekiti Dump Site and the Ekiti State Waste Management Authority Complex—were the Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Erelu Tosin Aluko; Special Adviser, State Capital Development Authority, Hon. Tade Aluko, Project Coordinator, UN-Habitat for Southern Nigeria and Technical Adviser on eGIS and Land Management, Akintobi Olusanmi, Technical Adviser to the Governor on Green Economy and Ecological Matters (also Project Coordinator, Nigeria Climate Adaptation – Erosion & Watershed Project, Ekiti) ,Dr. Akinyemi Akinyugha; Project Operationalization Coordinator of Waste Wise City Tool Survey (TA to Dr. Akinyemi), Olamide Olajide, ; representatives from all health-related MDAs in the state; and the UN-Habitat team.
The audit survey runs from 26th May – 3rd June 2024 and supports Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption).
