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Speaker ECOParl Says Infrastructural Deficit, Responsible For Poor Plastic Waste Management In Sub-region

Published

2 months ago

July 31, 2024

By Gloria Ikibah

The Speaker Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, Honourable Mémounatou Ibrahima, has said that the menace of plastic waste in the region was as a result lack of adequate infrastructure for collecting, sorting and processing plastic waste.

Speaker Ibrahima who stated this at the opening of delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources/Energy, Mining/Infrastructure of the ECOWAS Parliament, highlighted the lack of awareness among the people as one of the factors, on Tuesday in Winneba, Ghana.

She warned that plastic waste pollution may have significant impact on food security in the ECOWAS sub-region.

The Speaker lamented that despite efforts made at different levels of authorities to combat the situation, ECOWAS was still struggling to eradicate plastic waste from our towns, countryside and oceans.

She said: “This scourge is an environmental threat and a brake on our economic development. The impact on public health is also a cause for concern, with increased risks of illness linked to pollution and contamination of water resources.

“At an international level, in addition to the numerous conventions adopted to combat climate change, awareness of the many negative impacts of plastic waste on the environment and human and animal health has led the international community to institute a “World Plastic Bag Free Day” in 2010, which is celebrated every year on July 3.

“At the community level, ECOWAS, aware of the urgency of the situation, has adopted a community policy for the management of plastic waste. This ambitious and necessary policy aims to promote the reduction, recycling, and recovery of plastic waste while ensuring the responsible management of non-recyclable waste.

“At national level, to effectively combat plastic pollution, certain Member States such as Togo, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Gambia and Senegal have already adopted legislation to regulate the plastics sector.

“In addition, ECOWAS has adopted the regulation on the Regulation of Plastic Products and the Harmonization of the Environmentally Sound Management of Plastic Waste in ECOWAS Member States, to alleviate the difficulties experienced by Member States in effectively implementing the regulations already in place”.

Speaker Ibrahima acknowledged West Africa as the cradle of vibrant cultures and exceptional natural resources, but however expressed worries that the Sub-region was confronted by a significant environmental challenge that threatens development and collective well-being through proliferation of plastic waste.

“Dear colleagues and distinguished guests, the impact of plastic pollution on our ecosystem is undeniable and poses a significant threat to our survival. The figures are alarming. ECOWAS generates around 17 million tons of plastic waste annually, of which only 10 per cent is recycled.

“This lack of proper management leads to an accumulation of plastic waste in the environment, polluting our oceans, rivers and soils and threatening biodiversity. Individual efforts are not enough. We need collective action and collaboration to propose effective solutions for plastic waste management”, she added.

She noted that In the face of the challenges, it is of vital importance to thinking deeply and devise innovative and sustainable solutions to the problem.

“I am confident in the participants’ expertise at this meeting to propose solutions that will enable us to meet our current needs without compromising those of future generations.

“I believe it is vital that the Parliament calls on the Member States to invest massively in research and development, encourage technological innovation in the recycling and recovery of plastic waste and strengthen the capacities of local players in the responsible management of plastic waste.

“Above all, we need to adapt our school curricula to include compulsory subjects on the fight against climate change in general and plastic waste in general to better prepare them to adapt to these new challenges.

“The fight against plastic pollution is a shared one. It concerns environmental issues, social justice and sustainable development. By joining forces, sharing experiences and exploring innovative solutions, we can meet this challenge and build a more sustainable future for our region”, she stated.

The Speaker thanked the people and government of Ghana, especially President Nana-Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the warm reception.

She also commended the 3rd Deputy-Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Honourable Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markim for the efforts made to enable the committee hold its meeting in the best possible conditions.

News

Ecoparl: Speaker Ibrahima Reaffirms Parliament’s Dedication to Regional Unity

Published

4 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Rt. Honourable Memounatou Ibrahima, restated that the parliament remains committed to ensuring the unity and integration of the people within the subregion.

According to Speaker Ibrahima, the Parliament will continue to use parliamentary diplomacy to engage countries that are considering leaving the bloc due to political challenges, such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, as a result of military coups they experienced.

The Speaker stated this when she led a delegation of the ECOWAS Parliament on a working visit to the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday in Abuja.

She highlighted that while countries may break formal cooperation, the people of the region remain interconnected, adding that the Parliament, as representatives of these people, will work to maintain the unity.

Ibrahima expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Senate for supporting ECOWAS by providing necessary facilities for their plenary sessions, even as she discussed the socio-political challenges facing the region, as well as how parliamentarians can contribute more to address these issues.

She said: “We strengthen parliamentary diplomacy, because we know that the countries might break cooperation but we cannot separate the population. The population always live together and we as representatives of the people, we are doing our best so that this living together will continue to be reality and even made better.

“We came to thank him for all the facilities that the senate has been providing to the ECOWAS Parliament to facilitate the holding of our sessions here in Abuja. We also discussed on the socio-political situation in the community. We also discussed on the ways parliamentarians can make more contributions on the various issues and the challenges that we are experiencing in ECOWAS”.

The President of the Senate,

Senator Akpabio, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Barau Jubril, commended Ibrahima’s leadership and her efforts in using parliamentary diplomacy to foster cooperation within ECOWAS, especially in light of the challenges posed by countries considering an exit from the bloc.

He noted that since Speaker Meimounatou assumed office, she has deployed enormous parliamentary diplomacy to bear not only on the level of cooperation with institutions in the region but also on those that have expressed the wish to quit the regional block.

Naijablitznews.com reports that Senator Jubril is the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.

He said: “Since she was elected the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, she has been up and doing in terms of giving leadership to the parliament. It is in that regard that she is here trying to chart a better course for the parliament to make sure that she brings parliamentary diplomacy to bear in terms of our cooperation not only with those who are within the community as we speak but also even those who are attempting to leave the community.

“It is in that respect that she is here, and what she is doing is commendable. She has come to strengthen her idea and initiative of making the parliament stronger and more effective”.

News

Air Force Begins Moving Electoral Materials For Edo Guber Election

Published

6 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has began airlifting the sensitive election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Benin, Edo State, ahead of the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali.

The operation is part of the NAF’s efforts to ensure the timely and secure delivery of materials necessary for a smooth electoral process.

This development reinforces the collaboration between NAF and INEC to facilitate logistics and ensure a peaceful election in Edo State.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, had previously reiterated NAF’s commitment to providing airlift support for the swift movement of electoral materials during a meeting with INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

This airlift operation is a crucial aspect of NAF’s constitutional responsibility to provide Military Aid to Civil Authority, underscoring the force’s dedication to supporting democratic processes in Nigeria. With the election just days away, the NAF’s timely intervention will help ensure the successful conduct of the governorship elections in Edo State.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had earlier accused the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, of working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to hunt the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and supporters in the state and force them into hiding ahead of September 21 governorship election.

Obaseki, who made the allegation when a delegation led by the former Head of State, Abdusalam Abubakar, met with him to get the governor and his party to sign peace accord, said that the IGP had made nonsense of his (Obaseki’s) role as the chief security officer of the state.

The governor had said that the police chief obtained a warrant to arrest 60 members and supporters of PDP in Edo and that the IGP sent an armed “gang” of policemen who invaded the state, attacked PDP members, shot at a local government chairman and arrested 10 persons who are currently being detained in Abuja without charges.

Asked by the former head of state if his party would sign the peace accord, Obaseki said, “The person who is supposed to enforce the peace accord is now an active participant in creating a destructive environment.

“We are now in a situation where from the Inspector General’s office, there are armed gang policemen who came into Edo State, invaded, arrested and took away PDP members.

News

“Dancing gives me abundant joy and peace of mind”-Gov Adeleke

Published

6 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has given reasons why he loves dancing.

The ‘Dancing Governor’, as he is fondly called, revealed this on Wednesday while responding to a tweet on X.

An X user, @Iwogoke, while praising the governor, stated that Adeleke has been busy fulfilling his electoral promises to the people of Osun State, while his political opponents believe he is only good at dancing.

Iwogoke tweeted, “I’m not flattering you, Your Excellency, your opponents think you can only dance but while they are busy shouting and calling you ‘Dancing Governor’, you are busy fulfilling your electoral promises to the people.”

Responding to the tweet via his verified X account, Adeleke explained that he loves dancing because it brings him joy.

Speaking further on his love for dancing, Adeleke highlighted that while dancing brings him immense happiness, his greater fulfilment comes from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Osun.

Outlining his administration’s efforts to enhance the state’s infrastructure, he noted that primary health centre rehabilitation is underway in at least 200 out of the 332 wards across Osun State, adding that road construction projects are also progressing in every local government area.

He wrote, “Dancing gives me joy, but delivering on my electoral promises and providing the dividends of democracy to the good people of Osun gives me even greater joy. Rehabilitation of primary health centers is ongoing in at least 200 out of 332 wards, and road construction is progressing in every Local Government!”