Nigerian Girl Guides Association Celebrates Her 102
The Nigerian Girl Guides Association is the national Guiding organisation of Nigeria. Founded in 1919, which is the girls-only organization and became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1966.
The organisation celebrated her 102 years anniversary with project activity that started on 16th of September 2021 which was the day the organisation clocked 102, these activities were scheduled to run until the 30th of September 2021.
The organisation trained advocacy champions and wave makers from different parts of the state to advocate for the eradication of plastic pollution.
Based on the research carried out by the organisation’s body, it is reported that globally, land- and marine-based plastic pollution are causing severe ecological problems with potential risks to human health. In Nigeria, the growing production of single-use plastics and the uncontrolled release of plastic debris to the land and marine habitats are facilitating widespread plastic pollution.
Over 60 million plastic sachet water bags are consumed and disposed daily in Nigeria, and single-use plastic shopping bags and takeaway packs are ubiquitous. These plastic sachets, single-carrier bags, and other disposable plastic products end up on the land and in the marine environment because of indiscriminate disposal and the popular social practice of dumping waste on the roadside, under bridges, and in drainage channels (gutters) during periods of rainfall. Therefore, some litter the streets, while others end up in the marine ecosystem.
Nigeria is widely reported as having released up to 0.34 million tones of plastic debris into the ocean in 2010 and was ranked the ninth country in the world for pollution of marine environments. Waste management habits/behavior facilitate indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste, which in turn exacerbates plastic pollution in Nigeria. A lack of awareness of the environmental and potential health risks of plastic pollution, the poor resourcing of waste management and recycling infrastructure, an unskilled/inadequate waste collection workforce, and untimely litter collection potentially exacerbate the scale of the problem.
NGGA as body also took a stand against the production of virgin plastics as it is a dead end. “Plastics have no sustainable future for humanity given their demonstrable infiltration into and deterioration of all habitats across the planet. Given this reality, production of virgin plastics for single use and packaging needs to undergo a steady, consistent, and purposeful transition to sustainable alternatives and new ways of living and working that do not rely on single-use materials. Research and development must support these new systems, as well as improved methods to reuse all recovered plastic waste through a circular economy in a just and equitable way.
“Nigerians Governments are responsible for the future of the Nations environment, wildlife and health and well-being of its people. By identifying a collective approach to lead and manage a coordinated action plan on controlling the influx of plastics and associated waste, intergovernmental actors can learn, innovate and partner to mitigate the impacts of plastic production and waste across the country.”
In her statement, NGGA called on the government stating that, “There is a need to change the political and social will in Nigeria, and regulation of single-use shopping bags through taxes/levies and refillable sachet water bags could be introduced. Media programs and special education, focused on societal values and an awareness/knowledge of the causes of plastic pollution, should be designed. Investing in waste collection and recycling infrastructure should be prioritized. Interdisciplinary research to determine the extent to which macro- and micro/Nano plastics pollutions are present in Nigerian land and marine environments should be conducted to facilitate health and environmental decision-making and policies.
“Adopt the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). We call on Nigerian governments to adopt EPR, where the responsibility and financial burden for the post-consumer stages and impacts of plastics is held by the corporations and businesses involved in the development, production, collection, recycling and disposal of plastic products.”
