The global community is celebrating another World Environment Day and individuals and organizations have been adding their voices to the advocacy for the protection of Mother Earth, and converging on this year’s theme: ‘Only One Earth’ to amplify this objective. For many, there is a consensus that our Earth is more polluted today than years ago and one organization that has taken on the gauntlet in driving advocacy and mustering efforts and synergy in advancing the argument for a safer environment is the Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON).

In this interview with the Publisher of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, the incumbent National President of WAMASON, Chief Akpabio Ndarake Esien, AmbGW, JP elucidated on the trending concerns associated with this year’s World Environment Day, the need for a legal framework and multisectoral synergy on waste management, especially, the need to legislate into existence an Institute of Environmental Practitioners of Nigeria (IEPN), among other issues. Enjoy the read!

Kristina Reports: Let’s meet you, Sir.

Chief Akpabio Esien: I am Chief Akpabio Ndarake Esien, AmbGw, JP, currently the National President of Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON) and Manager, Corporate HSE Department of Nigeria LNG Limited.

It is another World Environment Day, what can you say have been the achievements so far with regards to efforts at conserving the environment?

Waste Management plays a very important role in the conservation of the Environment. This year’s WED theme is ‘Only One Earth’ and I will add that there is only one Environment. In a situation of bad waste management, the Environment that would have supported other life forms will be messed up. First, the waste dumps are unsightly, causing smell nuisance and the liquid and decaying wastes discharge leachate which percolate through the top soil into ground water thereby causing pollution of the water aquifer. Our efforts as WAMASON is to assist government at different levels to make laws, rules and regulations for proper wastes management. We also carry out advocacy and waste management education through the mass media and Waste Management Clubs in Schools. I will say that these efforts are making some impacts though not very noticeable. I, therefore call on government at all levels and the agencies of government to collaborate with the Society to double our efforts in preserving the Environment.

Do you think the government and regulatory authorities have done enough to muster efforts at protecting the environment?

As I have said earlier, the government at all levels and agencies should do more in providing the enabling laws and regulations to bring sanity to waste management related activities in our country.

WAMASON appears to be the frontline organization marshalling efforts and resources focused on ensuring that wastes are properly managed. Can you say the society has done enough so far?

The Society has done a lot but not enough because the government is yet to provide the enabling laws to bring all those involved in wastes management activities under one umbrella. There are several companies and individuals into wastes management that are not members of WAMASON. Until we are able to regulate all wastes management activities, we will not be able to take control of and overcome the wastes management challenges in our country.

In galvanizing stakeholders to work towards effectively managing wastes and on the bigger scale protecting the environment, what do you propose as the pillars upon which these efforts should be anchored on?

We need to galvanize all environmental practitioners into one umbrella body. We have been making several attempts to get the National Assembly to pass the law for an Institute of Environmental Practitioners of Nigeria (IEPN) with Nigeria Environmental Society (NES) but the National Assembly is to accede to our requests or give verve to those attempts. This Institute will bring sanity to waste management and protection of our Environment and thus needs a legal framework to assure its sustainability. We are still calling on the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to pay attention and accede to our demands to emplace that legal framework by way of legislation. We also call on the President and the Minister of Environment to look into this issue as we believe it would benefit all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity or political persuasion.