Zero waste campaigners who spoke at a two-day media capacity building workshop on “Understanding the UN Plastic Treaty Process in Nigeria”, have called on the Federal Government to review the extended date for implementing the ban on single-use plastic fixed for 2028 and implement same as early as 2025.
The campaigners while engaging media experts at the event which held in Lagos, said that the government should begin the policy with styrofoam, micro-beads and carrier bags, that do not possess economic or recycling potentials.
The event, organized by the Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE) with the support of the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF), coincided with the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution which held 25 November to 1 December 2024 in South Korea.
Anthony Akpan, executive director of PAVE explained that the training was conceived to address the gaps observed in reporting of the plastics treaty in Nigeria and the need to capacitate journalists with the requisite understanding to be critical voices in support of the ban on single use plastics.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Huub Scheele of the Global Greengrants Fund and a representative of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Mrs. Oluwakemi Bankole, Deputy Director, Natural Resources Protection Department
Philip Jakpor, executive director of Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) who made a presentation on The Role of the Media in Reporting Plastic Pollution encouraged journalists to address the missing links in reporting plastics pollution.
They include the connection between plastics and the fossil fuels industry and key issues such as climate change causing emissions, plastics and health, plastics and the economy as well as the false solutions such as incineration and recycling that the industry promotes.
Jakpor also told the journalists that in-depth reports will nudge policy makers to make just and climate-friendly laws.
To effectively report plastic waste, he urged journalists to leave the comfort of their offices and visit flashpoints, put human faces to stories, speak with experts, emphasize interconnectedness of man and the environment, among others.
Another key presentation at the event was by Victor Fabunmi, Senior Programme Officer, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), who made a delivery on Emerging Plastic Bans in Africa and Nigeria.
The meeting outcomes included a communique by PAVE, endorsed by the RDI, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and the Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) calling for standard operating procedures/guidelines for the plastic recycling/management of the sector in Nigeria.
Participants recommended the exploration and promotion of sustainable alternatives to plastic use including the use of rubber; capacity building engagements especially trainings for relevant stakeholders on the plastics pollution issue, with priority on the media; and sustained awareness creation on the impacts of single use plastics including use of traditional rulers and town criers in the rural localities. The media participants at the engagement were 20 journalists from the print, electronic and online media platforms, with the high point being the establishment of a network of journalists to further create awareness on the UN Plastics Treaty and its implementation, among others.