Chuks Oyema-Aziken
To tackle cases of theft associated with local waste pickers, stakeholders have called for their proper identification to separate them from miscreants.
The call was made at a round table meeting on improving National Security using Technology in the Informal Waste Management Sector held in Abuja.
The round table was organised by Chanja Datti, a Nongovernmental Organisation in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment.
In his address, Director of Pollution and Environment, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Usman Bokani said there was need for the Association of Waste Management and Association of Waste Pickers to have a means of identification of their members to separate them from these miscreants.
He said “The Federal Ministry of Environment recognized that the waste pickers are amongst the principal actors in waste management value chain because of the important role they play in creating value from the waste generated by others and in contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions.
He said collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Chanja Datti to sanitise and improve on the activities of waste pickers was in line with Nigeria National Security Strategy and promote a clean, safe and healthy environment.
“Waste Pickers make significant contributions to public health, Sanitation and the environment by promoting resource circulation and reducing the amount of waste in our dumpsites. With Waste Pickers integration, the waste sector can contribute to the Country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while mainstreaming and ensuring inclusive growth.” He added.
The Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Mrs Sherifatu Lawan said that Waste pickers locally known as Boola-Boola roaming the city in search of the so-called recyclables have been banned by the Minister of FCT, Mr Muhammed Bello.
She said they are to strictly operate at the dumpsite their activities are posing a threat to the residents and the populace at large.
The Chief Executive Officer, Chanja Datti, Ms. Funto Borroffice, said her organisation has been working with the waste pickers association for seven years, while stressing that the meeting was to create awareness for the general public that waste pickers are not threats to the environment.
“Right now in Nigeria, 64 million tonnes of waste is generated every year that’s a lot of waste and unfortunately only 10 to 15% of it is collected in our downside and in our water ways, unfortunately Nigeria is ranked ninth in the world in terms of pollutants in our oceans. We generate over 200,000 tons of plastic annually that end up now and there’s a big conversation around what that is going to into aquatic animals. and the like. So against marine and terrestrial land also in terms of pollution of pollution, especially around plastics, we generate.” She explained.
She said that Chanja Datti is working with sister agencies to create more value for the resources waste pickers to get access to the market.
“So one of the things that Chanja Datti and our sister agencies have done is we have a program called protect 10,000, in the FCT, and the reason why we have this protection it is because we understand that waste pickers play a vital role in solid waste management sector in harnessing resources waste that are displaced currently.
Ms. Borroffice however disagree that majority of the waste pickers are criminals saying that the Organisation is hoping to provide dignity of labor for the waste pickers to encourage them.
A representative of the FCT Police Command Mr Akinwale Akappo, said that the Nigerian Police is working to check mate the activities of criminal waste pickers in the FCT.
The program which serves as an awareness and sensitization forum is the first in a series of activities and events geared towards improving National security as it affects waste management in the country.
