Image of convener, special guests and students at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Ikeja.
In its effort to ensure Lagos State Government’s message with regards to ban of styrofoam and single use plastics get to the right stakeholders, Hephzibarian Women Initiatives collaborated with Ministry of Environment and Water resources to intensify advocacy and sensitisation.
Newsconnect reports that Hephzibarian initiatives focuses on the marginalised and less privilege people in the society. They do advocacy, sensitisation on anything that has to do with health improvement which is where this intervention falls under.
The founder Barr. Omowunmi Ogunbaibi said the intervention is also in line to drive Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEME agenda.
In an interview with journalists at the event, Omowunmi said;
“When it rains, we all see the hazards on our drainages, the blockages. When it rains, you see the Styrofoam comes from no where, blockages everywhere. You see the environment is dirty, flooded, the water can’t pass through, you have to get another set of people to go do the cleanup and all that.
“We don’t want that again. We just want a clean and healthy greener environment”.
” We invited students to intimate them that every food vendors selling food close to their schools, close to their houses, they should tell them the government said they should stop using single use plastic, they should do away with styrofoams.
“They should start serving them with the ones we have in the market which is healthy, which is reusable and that is why they are here”.
“Representative of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Plastic Association of Nigeria, Plastic retailers association of Nigeria. We have all of them under this roof today, It is an opportunity for retailers, marketers, iyaloja’s, to leverage on that opportunity.
“It is avenue to leverage on having everybody under the same roof this afternoon”. She said.
The Special Adviser to Mr Governor on Environment Engr. Kunle Rotimi Akodu at the event said the significance of the event can’t be overemphasized.
In an interview with journalists, he said;
“We must appreciate the convener Hephziarian Women Initiatives partnering with government to see that our policy with styrofoam is further deep driven.
“It is all about ensuring that the ban on Styrofoam becomes effective. It has been done. Not all single use plastic is ban for now, we have exempted the pure water sachet, the pep bottle, there are still some that have just been included in the ban which include cuttleries, Nylon bags that are less than 40 microns and the likes.
“We listed them for everybody to see. Government alone can’t drive that campaign, that is the reason it is important to partner with private sectors, NGO’s to support the drive in achieving that goal”. He said.
The Senior Special Assistant to Mr President on School Feeding program Yetunde Adeniji in an interview with journalists at the event reiterated that the ban of styrofoam and single use plastic is a menace within the environment and this is also the things that they had been talking about especially the health factor that are associated with styrofoam and single use plastics.
In her own words, she said;
“Apart from causing environmental hazard, the health implications are also there. When you are keeping food in such containers, they tend to have side effects which are not good for the system and children.
“This is something that we’d been talking, to have eco-friendly products to ensure when we are packaging foods for children, we don’t want this substance in their packaging.
“So we are looking for eco-friendly materials that we can be packaging food for kids so they can become healthier.
“Healthier child gives a healthier community, which gives heathier nation”. She concluded.
Iyalojaa IBA lcda Iya Afin Folasade Adedeji who represented Iyaloja general in a separate interview at the event said;
“What we are saying is that when we desist from using styrofoam, drainage system will no longer be blocked. Styrofoams Don’t decompose overtime, it destroys.
“Our market leader has informed us , you can’t see it in Iba. We want all local government in Lagos to comply. We have been told to go there to ensure they no longer sell it. Ones we start that, other states would emulate us.
“You know Lagos state leads while others follow from there. We thank the convener of this initiative, may God continue to be with them”.
Assistant to Lagos State Government on Civic engagement Lijirin Ruth, said;
“To me the policy of Lagos state government to ban styrofoam is a good idea. The disadvantage of styrofoam is more than its good.
“It doesn’t decompose, it litters the environment, so i think the ban is a good idea by lagos state government”. She said
The Honourable Minister for Environment and water resources Mallam Balarabe Abass was ably represented, ditto Lagos State Honourable Commisioner for health Professor Akin Abayomi.