…inaugurates ECO Clubs in Ekiti North Senatorial District
By Precious Oham
Students in Public Secondary Schools in Ekiti State have been trained on how to turn waste into wealth by the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE.
The students drawn from 10 Public Secondary Schools in Ekiti North Senatorial District, were urged to imbibe the habit of keeping their school environment clean.
The one-day sensitisation and training programme, which held on Thursday at Ekiti State Government College, Oye-Ekiti, had the inauguration of ECO Club members to promote environmental sound behaviours.
A Social Expert from the Department of Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, of the EKiti State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs Akinlabi Olayinka facilitated a ‘Waste to Wealth’ project using plastics and nylon as christmas trees and rose flower.
She charged the students to utilise the opportunity to create wealth from waste products.
Her words: “The problem with the environment where these waste products such as plastics, indiscriminate dumping of refuse is causing flood and erosion in our environment.
“Based on technology, we can turn our waste into wealth where we use bottle water, plastics and even disposable plates.
“Part of what was done today is forming ECO Clubs which the students come in voluntarily and make sure their environment in the school is clean and health is wealth.
“The advantages is that they make money out of it and also make the environment clean. These are the expectations from the students.”
The beneficiaries were grouped during the practical sessions to create wealth from waste products such as christmas trees, palm tree, rose flower, wall design etc and sensitisation on climate change.