Host – Good morning and welcome to your favorite program YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOU. We have another big fish in the big ocean today to share more light on issues making waves in our environment. I will ask you again, how much do you know about your neighborhood and of course I don’t do this alone, I have my sponsor in the house! Tpl. Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph, a very good morning to you
Sponsor – Comfort, good morning, how are you doing?
Host – I’m very good, thank you. Alright we have our guest in the studio and he is no other person than the Special Adviser to the Governor of Ondo state on Environment, Hon. Oseni Oyeniyi. Thank you so much for joining us in the program sir.
Guest – Thank you and good morning
Host – Can we get to know you and your office activities as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment?
Guest – Thank you comfort, I am Oyeniyi Oseni and as you’ve rightly said, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment. Mostly as related to what we are doing this morning, I supervise over some other agencies besides Environmental Protection Agency.
Host – Alright, I am sure our sponsor has some questions for you too
Sponsor – Recently your office held environmental submit on plastic pollution and management, can you tell us more about it, and what are the outcomes of the submit?
Guest – Thank you. Just like you said, we had a summit on the menace of plastic pollution in Ondo state, precisely a month ago and at the summit, we had some social event. Particularly, some of our guest speakers and corporate entities we invited, Nigeria bottling company, UNIDO spoke on the menace and provided solutions which was actually the aim of that summit. For us to be able to have a clean environment, an environment devoid of plastic pollution especially in our coaster areas and to see Ondo state, drainage system free from flooding. We believe most of this blockages arises from indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste in our drainage. So, at that summit, we were able to come up with some communique which the agency is really working on and everything is centered around how to achieve recycle economy from the parting waste source to the end use for us to keep the value chain and turn it to wealth especially among the youths. So, as one of the resolution at the communique, is for us to be able to establish buy-back centers across all the local government whereby if you have your plastic waste, you go there and exchange it for money and for some who are unable to take it there, they can always dial a code and an agent will visit them with the electronic scale and weigh the value of your plastic waste in your house and pay you and get it out of there. So, all these our agents will be recruited among the youths which we will be able to generate employment from end to end. At the stage we are now, we are drafting the framework for implementation, which I believe within the next few weeks, we shall be through with it and we can come to the society and say our people can have their buying in the circular economy.
Host – Thank you so very much there. I have a question from what you just said. Could this be a means of creating jobs opportunities and employments for the youths and how long will this take?
Guest – Yeah, it’s a major means of reducing the rate of unemployment in the street and particularly to the youths and this is not going to take much time. Like I said, we are at the final stage of drafting and the implementation strategies has been concluded and that will be out very soon.
Host – Okay sir, are you trying to tell Nigerians that the job opportunity of employment is a short term or long-term employment?
Guest – As long as we continue to manufacture plastics and not having alternative for now. There will be plastic wastes and that means it’s a sustainable and viable business for our youths as long as we are alive by the grace of God.
Sponsor – Thank you very much. Away from plastic pollution and management, we have another one here which is about Quarry activities in Ondo state. When we look at the activities/process of getting granite or stone dust ready for consumers, it causes so many health and environmental hazard such as: air pollution, noise pollution to mention few. What is government doing about this?
Guest – Like you said, human activities will always have a kind of impact on the environment, that business I can say is a very essential business that have direct impact on the environment and I am bold to say it that few months ago, we invited the quarry operators to discuss with them. You know we need to engage the actors of this business, so, we engaged them and make them to understand that Ondo Environmental protection agency is back, that Mr governor, Rotimi Akeredolu SAN will restore Ondo Environmental protection agency after a very long time and we make them to understand that part of what we do is for us to be able to preserve and protect our environment via necessary monitoring and policies that we will be able to curtail some excesses in our day to day activities and we highlight some things they have been doing that has not been palatable based on petitions. We were able to have some level of agreement on urgent need for them to carry out immediately the environmental audit of their business premises, we agreed that there is urgent need for them to liaise with environmental protection agencies and be able to have their chemical storage permit on time, we are able to agree that the excess of their noise pollution, particularly those that are having their proximity close to residence should have a way of managing their noise in order not to disturb people especially in the night and even in the day time. There should be a level of control in their doings. All these will come up and be able to be addressed if they have their audit, which is going to be reveal and give them a level of recommendation in their activities. All these we discussed and more with them and we believe as a law abiding they citizens, they should be able to immediately swing into action and have a sustainable environment in their domains.
Host – I have this question for you, there is correlation with climate change and weather we are experiencing now. Weather patterns have drastically changed over the years, with extreme downpours we haven’t seen before. Ondo State is not left out. Human activities are the main driver of climate change. What is government doing about climate change challenges?
Guest – Thank you comfort, it’s a very good question at this point, and people need to know that there is what is called climate change. It’s not enough that you’re schooled, there is a need for you to be able to be well enlightened about some things happening around the world and climate change is a very sensitive issue that UN has taken with passion and you see every year the world gather together to discuss issues out and proffer solution and by the grace of God, the next few weeks there will be a gathering of the world again in Cairo to discuss the vision and goals of 2030 and some other adaptation solution that we have agreed before and to also have high level of engagement.
Climate change in Ondo state, I think what we need to do that we are having on our table is to intensify desensitization and let our people understand what it means. Ondo state government have done a lot especially the passion from our governor. He has done lots before now, he has procured to mitigate what we have been having. The incessant flooding before now, he was able to procure powerful equipment to be able to open up our channels for free flow of water anytime it rains. Besides that, when you look at our coastal areas at Ilaje community and so on, you will see some works going on in terms of dredging to allow the sea level rise to some size and when you look at some other policies the governor has put in place, he established the forest management committee to be able to manage the forest so that when we have a very reliable reserve, we will be able to mitigate all the pollution/carbon that are being emitted which are depleting the ozone layer and causing excessive heat we are talking about.
We are doing lot even though we know we still have to do more but it’s a continuous thing and I must tell you, what we are witnessing is not only the activities of our state that is causing this, we have the activities of other neighbouring states. The industrial activities of developed countries know this and that’s why they make lots of commitment in billions of dollars every year to be able to fund climate change. So, a lot of policies are on that the government have been able to work on mitigating the effects of climate change in the state and also be able to release funds and some other materials for adaptation measure especially at the rural areas. Recently we were able to deploy some equipment to the rural areas to farmers to be able to process and make life more meaningful.
The goal of United Nations to keep the temperature below 1.5 degree by year 2030, Nigeria is a signatory and we are committed to it and that’s why you see all other interventions coming up from the national, sub-national to see how to address this better. It’s not a one man business, all of us are involved. You have to check your activities like the question on plastic pollution, when you check the effects, it is enormous. We have to make sure our environment is kept clean, we have to make sure we go green in form of energy. I believe with what we have done and what’s on ground now, we are moving in the right direction.
Sponsor – Thank you very much, you made mention of Greenhouse concept in your discussion, you know when you look at Akure, the heat wave in Akure is alarming and some urban centers in Ondo state. When we look at it critically, we’ve not seen any deliberate effort on the part of the government to help reduce it.
Guest – Recently, I said it’s like there is a level of calmness in our weather because when I wake up, I see that breeze and the cold weather for a very long while, so the Sunshine State we are known for is not a mistake and I believe the heat you are talking about in my own opinion is not as hot as what we use to feel in the past, however, there is no way you can wake up one day and say you want to reduce heat from a natural process but I have said that there are some mitigation you put in place so that when adverse effect comes, we’ll be able to manage it which is very key. However, if we are able to plant trees, preserve our gardens and forest like the government policies are doing, it will help reduce the heat effects. If we can control our way of life and respect the environment and knowing fully well that whatever you do affects somebody, that also contribute to what we were discussing before as per climate change. Let everyone take responsibility by planting a tree around their premises and preserve existing ones and always obey the government when they say you should vacate reserve, desist from deliberate depletion of forest, some go to the forest to destroy trees and plant cannabis and the likes, which is illegal and it takes years to recover from such act. We still have a whole lot to do as individuals, not leaving everything for the government.
Host – Thank you very much sir. I have this question for you based on what you just said about climate change. How do you intend to sustain awareness to the populace and how do you intend to handle the challenges that comes with it? Is it a weekly, monthly or yearly thing?
Guest – This gospel has to be preached by everybody, the moment we continue to patronize the media everywhere, when you listen to it, you don’t have to stop there. You need to propagate the same message to the most remote area of the state so everyone will know climate change effects. Everybody have to watch what they do and keep clean environment but most importantly, if we are doing that, we may not be able to stop some other neighboring countries or states and whatever they do might come here, that’s why there is a sense in the world coming together to discuss climate change to discuss some of the major pollution and excesses that’s leading to this climate change.
Sponsor – Just want to ask you this before we round up and I need just a short answer. I am taking you back to the business opportunity in plastic management, hope this opportunity will not be for the political party faithful alone?
Guest – NO, what Ondo state environmental protection agency is trying to do is to create an enabling environment for private sector to thrive. By doing so, they will be able to engage our youths, train them and give them the guide on what to do. I am just telling you what is likely to come up in the framework and strategies we are drawing, by the time the document is fully ready, everybody will know what to do and what not. We need to oversee the process, you know security and all other challenges. It’s going to be mainly private sector driven.
Host – Thank you very much sir, final words to the people of Ondo state just before we go
Guest – My final word is for our people to respect the environment and always remember that whatever you throw to the environment comes back to you. People should be watchful, especially when you have some abandoned items you don’t know how it gets there. OSEPA has some numbers people can call when they see anything that is not right. The number will be release to you so you can help us propagate it for people to get and call us appropriately.
Host – Alright, thanks so much for coming on the show this morning.
Guest – Thank you God bless you
Host – Alright, I am sure our sponsor has something to say to our listeners out there
Sponsor – I just want to say to our listeners out there, they should be watchful of their environment as this is the only environment that we have and it is our Jerusalem.
Host – Those are the words from our Tpl Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph, Sustainable Design Consult at GPM Event Center Oba-ile, Akure. For further enquires pls call or send an SMS to this number 08180073884. That’s how much we can take for today’s program. My name is Mrs Comfort Omolafe.