• As NGO, Grace Life Foundation holds summit

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly and APC gubernatorial candidate, Hon Salihu Yakubu Danladi, has assured residents of the State that he would build on the environmental sustainability policies of the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

“The legacy of sustainable Kwara continues under our watch, because the present administration has done a lot on environmental sustainability and we are going to sustain and build on it,” the Speaker said at a Clean Life Summit in Ilorin.

Held at Flower Garden, the Clean Life Summit was organized by Grace Life Foundation for Social Impacts, a non-governmental organization, and it was well attended by relevant stakeholders in the environmental sector.

Hon Danladi, who spoke through Hon Rukayat Shittu of Owode Onire Constituency of the state House of Assembly, said for the sustainability of any development in a state or country, youth inclusion is very important.

He said “in a build up to the legacy of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, monthly sanitation exercise would be sustained and improved upon, flood and drainage control systems would be prioritized, and every developmental projects would be properly accessed so that they won’t affect the environment negatively. The legacy continues for us to have a sustainable Kwara.”

He said the state Ministry of Environment is doing a great job through the support of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, assuring participants that he would consolidate on the gains of the administration.

He added that annual reports of the environmental activities would be published and made available for public assessment, stressing the need for the establishment of the Youth Environmental Council and Green Youth Advisory Council that he noted will bring youths together to participate and add their views on environmental sustainability.

The Speaker commended the Convener of the summit, Mobolaji Yahaya for organizing the summit which he described as timely and relevant.

The summit had eminent personalities in attendance including Commissioner for Environment, Hon Nafisat Musa Buge; Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr Abubakar Ayinla; the General Manager, Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA), Hon Jide Aina; a Professor of Biochemistry, Rotimi Olusanya Arise; a Professor of Environmental Law, Hakeem Ijaiya; an historian, Mr Olayanju Oluwatoyin; and Iyaloja General of Kwara State, Alhaja Muhibat Olumoh; among others.

Buge, in her keynote address, said the state government, under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has been passionately prioritizing issues in the environmental space.

“This is what we need for anybody who will step into his big shoes, and I humbly wish to state that responsible environmental commitment has been a source of stability,” she said.

“In fact, the arena we sit here today is a testimony to this fact. We had embarked on a first phase of rehabilitation work here towards the end of the first term in office and
commissioned it on 29th May, 2024, and proceeded into the Phase-2 component, expanding into newer terrains, preserving nature, enhancing biodiversity
regeneration and providing comfortable facilities for
citizens to recoil, relax and even study in an atmosphere
comparable to anywhere in the developed countries.

“Beyond the state capital, we had also completed all arrangements with the Federal Government through the National Park Service and handed over the upgraded former Kampe Forest Reserve as a National Park at Patigi Local Government. This would create more job opportunities for our teeming youth and serve as added tourist facilities in
the state.

“We had paid closer and strategic attention to issues of waste management, driving the ‘Cleaner Kwara Initiatives’, and ensured we introduce policies that made our people more committed and responsible for managing their waste consciously, avoiding indiscriminate dumping of waste and strengthening the appropriate laws by reviewing penalties and fines that were already out of tune with reality.

“The actions taken in these regards within this period include advocacy, community engagement, sensitization, enlightenment campaigns, media engagement, collaboration with professional stakeholders, eco-schools’ programmes and even during this summer holidays (visiting summer
classes locations across the metropolis).

“In addition, we took enforcement more seriously by prosecuting offenders and also shaming them through active media disclosure when the need to do so arises. On the other hand, the government’s spending on waste management had been increased to provide more incentives to staff, road sweepers, and meet ever rising cost of fueling and maintaining the waste management trucks, while procuring additional waste trucks and heavy-duty machines, including compactors, fork-lift trucks, and recently a swamp-buggy.”

Panelists at the panel sessions included Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Olohungbebe; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr Ayinla; Professor Arise; Professor Ijaiya; and Mr Olayanju Oluwatoyin.

They, in their separate remarks, identified human activities as major causes of environmental challenges in the country and described sustainable environmental development initiatives as a global agenda.

They also stressed the need for more education and awareness on environmental sustainability as well as environmental laws.

Convener of Clean Life Summit 2026, Mobolaji Yahaya, said addressing environmental challenges was a collective responsibility of all.

“We are here because the environment is more than what surrounds us. It shapes our health,
our communities, our economy, and the future we are preparing for the next generation,” he said.

“We have the government, the academia, the market leaders, the young people, and the civil society here gathered around one table, not because we all have the same answers, but because we each hold a piece of the solution.

“And for me, that is what this summit is really about. It is not simply about what one person, one organisation, or one government can do. It is about what becomes possible when each of us recognises the responsibility we carry.”