Apapa Iganmu LCDA Boss Rallies State Govt, Multinational Coys On Waste -To- Wealth Program

By Kayode Olopade 

Efforts at ensuring a cleaner environment and improve wealth generation through waste for residents of Apapa Iganmu LCDA in Lagos has reached a climax following a stakeholders engagement by the LCDA chairman Hon. Jimoh Saliu with the state government and some multinational companies.

At the stakeholders engagement held Tuesday, 9th June at the conference hall of the LCDA, the stakeholders pledged their commitment towards a fruitful implementation of the processes.

In his welcome address at the meeting, Hon. Jimoh expressed the confidence that the partnership gives a great hope for a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future to the residents.

He stated that the LCDA is ready to deepen collaboration in the area of supporting the formalisation of waste traders and pickers into viable cooperatives, developing well- structured waste collection and aggregation hubs across the area.

" On our part, we want to reassure you of our full readiness and commitment. We will provide land where necessary, offer strong coordination, ensure effective community engagement, and give all required implementation support to make tis initiative successful ", the LCDA chairman assured.

Jimoh also appealed to the companies for support in the area of infrastructural development through their corporate social responsibility initiative, hinting that the residents are vulnerable.

His words, " I want to demand for your Corporate Social Responsibility CSR in our developmental projects, as we can't leave everything to government alone.

" We have schools we want to build, we want to build hospital, we have hall that can be branded, we have sports centre that you can develop for us. I want to implore you to come and invest in them."

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Adebola Odunsi, a consultant and representative of the Special Adviser Office of Climate Change & Circular Economy to Lagos State Governor noted that the circular system programme is to ensure that the waste does not end on the streets.

Odunsi emphasised that there are lots of benefits derivable from the initiative, stressing that the agency needs to information on the data of available plastic waste in the area.

Stating that the exercise must be structured, Odunsi stressed that prospective traders must be registered through a cooperative society in order to access fund.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Sustainability & CSR Manager of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Oluseye Olokun promised the commitment of his organisation to the initiative through empowerment and skill acquisition programmes.

In his contributions, the operation head of SPCTA Industries Limited, Mr. Tunji Alade hinted that the company has the capacity to engage 35 people, adding that it has school where people are trained on blue collar economy.

Alade emphasised that the residents must discontinue the dumping of nylon wastes indiscriminately, just as he noted that the laid down process has been abandoned.

Also speaking at the occasion, a representative of the  7up Bottling Company hinted that the company has done assessment on the area of planned intervention, adding that it believes in less talk much action.