A Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Energy and Environment) at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Christiana Ijagbemi, has called for the adoption of sustainable waste engineering practices as a key solution to Nigeria’s climate change challenges.
Delivering the university’s 183rd inaugural lecture titled “Waste Engineering and Climate Change: An Ingenious Alliance to the Drawdown”, the don emphasized that without swift action, unmanaged waste will continue to compound the nation’s climate vulnerabilities.
Sounding the alarm, the lecturer posited that uncontrolled waste disposal, a feature of many cities and urban centres in the country, “has far-reaching consequences for both human health and the planet.”
According to her, methane — a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide — is emitted when organic waste decomposes anaerobically in landfills. She said, aside from methane, “Poorly managed waste contributes to black carbon emissions from open burning, leachate pollution in soil and groundwater, and microplastic release in aquatic ecosystems.”
She aligned with the position of experts that “The intertwining crises of waste engineering and climate change represent two of the most pressing challenges of our time. As urbanization, industrialization, and consumerism accelerate, humanity is generating unprecedented levels of waste, from household refuse to industrial by-products. Simultaneously, the planet faces the escalating impacts of climate change, marked by rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and shifting ecosystems. At first glance, these two phenomena may seem like distinct issues; however, an ingenious alliance between waste engineering and climate change mitigation holds transformative potential for addressing both challenges.”
Professor Ijagbemi suggested the “decentralization of waste collection by creating local waste stations connected to regional waste treatment and recovery facilities” as a quick-win measure to salvage the situation. She said, “This approach will reduce transport-related emissions, promote community involvement in the circular economy, and create localized employment opportunities, ensuring environmental, economic, and social co-benefits.”
Quoting a popular saying, “Waste not, want not,” the professor urged Nigerians to value and efficiently use resources to reduce shortages, lower environmental risks, and safeguard the climate. According to her, the so-called “garbage problem” plaguing the environment could be turned into a powerful climate solution through innovative engineering techniques that transform waste into economic assets.
She explained that extreme weather events, flooding, and displacement could be mitigated by leveraging the synergies between waste engineering and climate change adaptation. Such measures, she said, would not only help communities withstand climate impacts but also promote economic growth, improve public health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
She therefore recommended a multi-pronged approach, beginning with stronger collaboration between government agencies, environmental bodies, private sector players, and communities to accelerate waste-to-energy initiatives and integrate them into national climate change strategies. She stressed the importance of building human capacity through accredited training and certification programmes in waste engineering, resource recovery, and climate innovation, backed by both local and global climate finance mechanisms.
Professor Ijagbemi further advocated for aligning Nigeria’s waste management policies with international climate agreements such as the Paris Accord, while eliminating entrenched habits, misconceptions, and regulatory bottlenecks that impede progress. She also noted that decentralizing waste collection through the creation of community waste zones linked to municipal hubs would ease the pressure on landfills, reduce emissions, and create new socio-economic opportunities.
To fund the required infrastructure, the don encouraged the use of innovative financing models such as climate bonds and public-private partnerships, ensuring waste is transformed into valuable resources and urban growth remains sustainable. She added that public awareness must also be prioritised through nationwide education campaigns on the 5Rs — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — with emphasis on the environmental and climate benefits of responsible waste practices.
She called for the establishment of multidisciplinary national research and innovation hubs that would bring together expertise from engineering, economics, sociology, and environmental sciences, working in synergy with international think tanks and top universities. In addition, a centralised digital climate-waste data portal, managed by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), should be developed to track emissions, compliance, licensing, and waste flows, ensuring transparent monitoring and stronger regulatory enforcement, according to her.
Ijagbemi concluded by urging government, industry, and citizens to harness the transformative potential of waste engineering, noting that with coordinated action, Nigeria could move closer to a resilient, climate-smart economy, whilst calling for urgency and coordinated action with the right policies, technologies, and mindsets.
In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, commended Ijagbemi for delivering a thought-provoking and solutions-driven lecture. She described the address as a valuable contribution to the national discourse on climate action and lauded the lecturer’s pioneering research in sustainable waste engineering. According to the Vice Chancellor, the waste-to-wealth approach outlined in the lecture aligns with FUTA’s vision of producing knowledge and innovations that directly impact society. She pledged the university’s support for interdisciplinary research, industry collaboration, and policy engagement aimed at turning waste challenges into viable economic and environmental solutions.
The Vice Chancellor further urged government and development partners to take seriously the recommendations put forward, noting that they provide a practical roadmap for mitigating climate change while stimulating green economic growth. She encouraged students, researchers, and alumni to see themselves as change agents capable of shaping a cleaner, more sustainable future for Nigeria and the world they live in.
