Nigerian activists call for stronger measures to protect the environment

Activists in Nigeria are calling for greater awareness and more action to protect the country’s natural resources and promote sustainable living.

Environmental issues remain a key concern for local communities who say that more needs to be done, notably on the issues of waste management and recycling.

Participants in a recent hike for the environment said awareness campaigns play an important role.

“Most of the places where we go hiking are mountains, nature, bushes. These are the places we call our home,” said Adebayo Babatunde, Founder of Nigeria Adventure which organised the hike.

“If we don’t preserve it who will? If we don’t create awareness who else will do it,” he said.

Harietta Adeyemi, the chief operating officer of Nigeria Adventures, added that people need to understand the importance of keeping the environment tidy.

“Please let’s stop littering, it’s a very simple thing, just get a carrier bag and leave it in your car … when you get to your destination, then you can trash it,” she said.

Activists taking part in the hike said protecting the environment is a shared civic responsibility.

While they believe much has been achieved, they say much more needs still to be done to meet the United Nations’ sustainability goals.

“We have gone far from where we were. I mean, you can now talk to anyone on the street and they are aware, people are aware of what environmental sustainability is like,” said climate activist Tosin Komolafe.

**“**So I’d say we’re doing a lot, but we are not doing enough. I don’t think any countries is actually doing enough. But I think we have come a long way.”

She believes environmental sector agencies should be empowered financially and the youth should be involved in making people aware.

“[We need to] get away from putting policy in place to actually implementing those policies,” she said.

Protecting the environment, they said, is ultimately about safeguarding our future on Earth and requires sustained action from everybody.