Ahead of the global celebration of the World Environment Day 2025, the Chairman, Green Hub Africa, Prof. Obas Ebohon, has called on Nigeria to lead Africa’s environmental revolution and innovation.
Ebohon gave the charge at a webinar, ahead of the World Environment Day.
The webinar is titled: “From Pollution to Innovation: Aligning Policy, Enterprise and Community for Sustainable Waste Solutions in Nigeria.
Ebohon said that the planet speaks to us in various ways, including rising temperatures and the vagries of climate change.
He said that as over 300 million tonnes of plastic waste continue to be generated globally each year—with a dismal 9 per cent recycling rate—Nigeria should step forward with bold resolve to redefine the narrative.
He said that the pivotal World Environment Day webinar gathered environmental thought leaders, policymakers, and grassroots champions to signal a new era for the country’s sustainability agenda.
He noted that with a population of over 200 million people, Nigeria faces intense environmental pressures, from plastic-choked waterways in Lagos, to waste management crises in Kano, and ecological degradation in Ogun State.
“Yet, far from isolated problems, these challenges reflect global patterns—making Nigeria a proving ground for locally rooted, globally relevant solutions.
“Today is a sign that every environmental challenge leads to innovation.
“What makes today’s dialogue powerful is the realignment of three critical forces: policy leadership, enterprise innovation, and community engagement,” Ebohon said.
Speaking on stakeholders assembled for the panel discussion, Ebohon said:
“Commissioner Ola Oresanya, Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, whose progressive environmental policies in Ogun State are charting a replicable model for state-level environmental reform.
“Dr. Tunde Ajayi of LASEPA, whose regulatory leadership in Lagos shows how development and environmental enforcement can go hand-in-hand.
“Olapeju Ibekwe of Sterling One Foundation, whose grassroots mobilisation exemplifies how sustainable change grows from community innovation.”
The don highlighted the critical role Nigeria’s informal waste sector, which employs over 500,000 people, play.
He explained that rather than replace these critical workers, efforts should be geared towards their formal integration, dignity, and support through innovation and inclusive policy.
“Every plastic bottle is not just waste—it’s raw material for housing blocks, packaging, and textiles. Every organic waste strain holds energy potential.
“The policy frameworks we build today are the foundations for tomorrow’s green industries,” Ebohon said.
He said that as the session transitioned to a high-level panel discussion, one message stood clear:
“Let this be the generation that turned the tide on environmental degradation in Nigeria.
“Let’s harness the same entrepreneurial energy that built our tech ecosystem to now build a thriving environmental economy.
“Our children deserve not just prosperity—but sustainability.”
The event was a clarion call for honest acknowledgment of current challenges alongside bold, practical solutions.
It highlighted that environmental leadership and economic development are not at odds—they are the twin engines of a sustainable future.
