The Foundation for Earth Rights Assembly (FERA) has blamed Nigeria’s alleged poor waste management on indiscriminate plastic disposal.
The group said indiscriminate plastic disposal had became rampant in many Nigerian cities, deepening environmental crisis and climate change issues.
Speaking at an event in Benin to mark the World Environment Day 2025, FERA’s Executive Director, Nosa Tokunbor stressed the urgent need to stop plastic pollution.
Tokunbor urged Nigerians to reduce plastic use, switch to alternatives, and protect the planet and human health from plastic’s harmful effects.
He highlighted poor waste management as a key driver of plastic pollution, a major factor worsening the global climate crisis.
Tokunbor estimated that 19–23 million tonnes of plastic leak annually into aquatic ecosystems from both land and sea sources.
” Such widespread leakage affects not just nature but also economies and public health, disrupting ecosystems and societies globally.
“With countries now negotiating a legally binding treaty, Tokunbor said this year’s Environment Day focuses on ending single-use plastic pollution,” he said.
He stressed that many nations lacked the infrastructure to collect and recycle waste effectively, making recycling alone an insufficient solution.
Tokunbor added that just nine percent of plastics were recycled globally due to poor product design, limiting reuse, and sustainable waste handling.
To solve the crisis, Tokunbor called for international cooperation to boost policy development, funding, and long-term plastic alternatives.
He noted that developing nations like Nigeria needed strong policies but often lacked the resources required for full implementation.
Tokunbor concluded by referencing United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 5/14, urging accelerated global efforts toward a legally binding treaty to end plastic waste.
NAN
