Members of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI) Environment Team have launched the Green Club in secondary schools in Lagos State in commemorating this year’s World Environment Day.
In his opening remark during the official launching at CYFI Save the Environment Project (STEP) 2023 Closing Ceremony in Orile Agege Community Junior High School, Agege Lagos State on Wednesday, 14th June, 2023, Leader of the CYFI Environment Team, Lawrence Akpoterai, disclosed that in the last eight weeks CYFI team has created awareness of environmental protection among the students and have been trained the students in plastic waste (PET bottles) collection as well s recycling of these PET bottles.
“The students have committed to gathering PET bottles from their community and putting the bottles into a 6ft bin provided within the school premises while CYFI recycle partners Ecobata have been evacuating the plastics from the school premises on weekly basis and have been convert them into a more valuable use”.
“Our target is to collect over 10,000 PET bottles to be recycled before today being the closing ceremony day, to this end the students have collected over 6,000 PET bottles already” he noted.
The CYFI Environment Team Leader who commended the effort put in place by his team comprising of Nelson Mfon, Oluwatosin Ogunlana, Temidayo Enatanya and Baliqees Salaudeen disclosed that “In the last couple of weeks we have been able to train selected number of students these students we have trained so far, we are not just leaving them the way we met them, we want to be sure that what we are leaving them with is sustained even in our absence. We are launching a club that will promote environmental sustainability within their schools and also extensively in their various environments. I will like to encourage members of staff to give them all the necessary support so that these wonderful students will be championing the cause of environment in their various capacities” he stressed.
Speaking further Akpoterai urged Lagosians to be self discipline when it comes to waste disposals and stop the habit of littering their surroundings with wastes.
“I remembered during the tenure of Mr. Babatunde Fashola as governor of Lagos State, when you drink water from the so-called “pure water” you dare not drop the nylon on the floor, you have to put it in your pocket till you get to a place where you know that you can easily dispose it and it really helps the environment but after with less enforcement rate in the state, people are back to their old ways of indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste in the state” Akpoterai concluded.
Baliqees Salaudeen, a fellow of CYFI Environment Team appealed to members of the newly launched Green Club in Eko Junior College and Orile Agege Community Junior High School to be actively involved in the activities of the club by putting all they have learnt with CYFI team into good use.
“We want the Green Club in these schools to be super active so that when I walked into the school anytime, I want to see that we have the presence of Green Club in the schools” she concluded.
Guest Speaker, Olumide Idowu, co-founder of International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICDDI) in his speech talked mostly on Goal 13 of the sustainable development goal which focuses climate action urged participants to always inculcate the idea of climate conversation among the younger generation.
“Few days ago, the sun was so hard on us but people don’t see it as an opportunity to discuss climate change but when they see erosion during the rain, people start shouting climate change because that is the problem all of us are facing especially in a place like Lagos” he opined.
Idowu also urged the participants to see plastic waste as opportunities to make money instead of following the band wagon by littering the environment with plastic wastes.
“For a couple of years now, we have been talking about waste management but we still have more wastes in our community. But there is nothing like waste anymore, what we have is resources for people that can identify it” he concluded.
In her remark, Mrs. Toyin Oguntola, Assistant Director, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources applauded the organizer of the event and urged them to extend the noble program to all schools in Lagos saying government alone cannot do everything.
Mrs. Oguntola who represented Permanent Secretary and Commissioner of the Ministry noted that “plastic pollution is caused by single use plastics and it is an environmental menace that we all need to tackle”.
She however warned that henceforth it is now an offence for any Lagos resident to dispose wastes indiscriminately in the state.
According to her, it is not acceptable anymore in Lagos state for people to dispose wastes indiscriminately in the state “recently plastic waste management policy has been enacted waiting for the ratification of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, once it is signed into law nobody would be permitted to use single use plastic anymore in the state, we won’t have to dispose it indiscriminately and also the major polluters which is the company that produces products in plastics would be forced to think of another means of producing their products and at the end of it all, our environment will be better for it” she concluded.

Highlight of the event was the unveiling of Green Clubs “Team Eko Junior College” and “Team Orile Agege Community Junior High School” while creative work from Okon Goodluck, a J.S.S 1 student of Eko Junior College attracted #15,000 support fund from Baliqees Salaudeen, a fellow of CYFI Environment Team while the Guest Speaker, Olumide Idowu also CYFI launches “Green Clubs” in Lagos State Secondary Schools
Members of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI) Environment Team have launched Green Clubs in Eko Junior College and Orile Agege Community Junior School in Lagos State to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day.
In his opening remark during the official launch at the CYFI “Save the Environment Project” closing ceremony in Orile Agege Community Junior High School, Agege, Lagos State on Wednesday, 14th June, 2023, Lawrence Akpoterai, a member of the CYFI Environment Team, disclosed that in the past eight weeks, the team has created awareness on environmental protection and sustainability among the students. He added that the students have been trained to tackle plastic pollution through the collection, upcycling and recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
“The students have committed to collecting PET bottles from their immediate environment and gathering the bottles in recycling bins that have been provided within the school premises by the CYFI Environment Team. Our recycling partner, Ecobarter has the responsibility of evacuating these plastic wastes from the school premises on a regular basis and are able to convert them into more valuable use while compensating the schools.”
“Our target before today is to have collected over 10,000 PET bottles, of which the students have been actively involved in achieving this, and as such tackling plastic pollution which happens to be the focus of this year’s World Environment Day. Of course, the collection of PET bottles is expected to continue consistently even after now”, he noted.
Lawrence Akpoterai, who highlighted and commended the effort of his CYFI Environment Team members comprising also of Nelson Mfon, Oluwatosin Ogunlana, Temidayo Enetanya and Baliqees Salaudeen, disclosed that, “In the last couple of weeks we have been able to train about 50 selected students each from both schools – Eko Junior College and Orile Agege Community Junior High School. The students we have trained so far won’t just be left that way. We want to ensure that what we are leaving them with is sustained even in our absence. So we are launching a club that will continue to tackle plastic pollution, promote environmental sustainability within these schools and also extensively in their various environments. I will like to encourage members of staff to give them all the necessary support so that these wonderful students will be championing the cause of the environment in their various capacities” he stressed.
Speaking further, Mr. Akpoterai urged Lagosians and the general public to be self disciplined when it comes to waste disposals and stop the habit of littering their surroundings with wastes. He also said, in hopes, that this project will be extended to other schools in other communities for a wider reach and greater impact. “The success of this project owes its thanks also to the support from Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, the United States Consulate in Lagos, Access Bank, and our partners – Ecobarter, Craft the Trash, Green with Grin, She Leads Climate Action and Climagraphy, he emphasized.
Baliqees Salaudeen, also a CYFI fellow and member of the Environment Team, appealed to members of the newly launched Green Club in Eko Junior College and Orile Agege Community Junior High School to be actively involved in the activities of the club by putting all they have learnt with the CYFI team into good use.
“We want the Green Club in these schools to be super active so that whenever I walk into the school, I want to see that we have the presence of a Green Club” she concluded.
Guest Speaker, Olumide Idowu, co-founder of International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICDDI) in his speech talked mostly on Goal 13 of the sustainable development goal which focuses on Climate Action. He urged participants to always inculcate the idea of climate action and procreation of the environment among the younger generation.
Idowu also urged the participants to see plastic waste as opportunities to make money instead of following the bandwagon by littering the environment with these wastes. “For a couple of years now, we have been talking about waste management but we still have more wastes in our community. But there is nothing like waste anymore, what we have is resources for people that can identify them” he concluded.
In her remark, Mrs. Toyin Oguntola, Assistant Director, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources applauded the organizer of the event and urged them to extend the noble program to other schools in Lagos, saying the Government alone cannot do everything. Mrs. Oguntola who represented Permanent Secretary and Commissioner of the Ministry noted that “plastic pollution is caused primarily by single use plastics and it is an environmental menace that we all need to tackle”.
She however warned that henceforth it is now an offence for any Lagos resident to dispose wastes indiscriminately in the state. According to her, it is not acceptable anymore in Lagos state for people to dispose wastes indiscriminately. “Recently, plastic waste management policy has been enacted waiting for the ratification of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, and once it is signed into law, nobody would be permitted to use single use plastic anymore, we won’t have to dispose it indiscriminately and the major polluters which are the plastic producing companies would be forced to rethink their production mechanism. At the end of it all, our environment will be better and much safer” she concluded.
Highlights of the event include the unveiling of Green Clubs “Team Eko Junior College” and “Team Orile Agege Community Junior High School”, and a creative work from Okon Goodluck, a J.S.S 1 student of Eko Junior College, whom having learnt from the various lessons taught by the CYFI team, created a stool from PET bottles. His creative work attracted the sum of fifteen thousand (15,000) naira support fund from Baliqees Salaudeen. The Guest Speaker, Olumide Idowu also supported the two participating teams from both schools with the sim of twenty five thousand (25,000) naira each for their impressive performances.
Mrs. Oluwakemi Oyegbile, the Director, Co-Curricular, Science and Technology of Lagos Education District One, Mrs. Risqat Mumuni, Principal of Orílẹ̀ Agege Community Junior High School and her counterpart in Eko Junior College, Mrs. M.M Rasheed and other dignitaries, as well as partners on the “Save The Environment Project” were on ground to grace the occasion.
The Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI) is a United States Consulate-General‘s program in Lagos to imbibe a service and impact-oriented leadership culture in young Nigerian leaders.
By Ajibola Adedoye