By Taibat Ummi Yakubu
The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN) has lauded President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its environmental sustainability initiatives, saying the reforms have positioned Nigeria for significant job creation, climate resilience and sustainable economic growth.
The National President of AWAMN, Dr. Olugbenga Adebola, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
Adebola said the administration had demonstrated strong commitment to environmental protection through policies and programmes aimed at strengthening waste management, advancing the circular economy and promoting green industrialisation.
According to him, Tinubu’s environmental reforms can be traced to his tenure as Governor of Lagos State, when he introduced the Private Sector Participation (PSP) model for waste collection, a system that transformed waste management in the state and later became a model for other states and some African countries.
He recalled that AWAMN had previously honoured Tinubu for his contributions to environmental management and employment generation.
Adebola identified the development and validation of Nigeria’s first Cleantech Innovation Policy as one of the administration’s landmark achievements, noting that the policy was expected to accelerate green industrialisation and create more than 500,000 jobs across critical sectors.
He also highlighted the Sustainable Energy Access Project, which targets all 774 local government areas of the country and is projected to generate nearly one million jobs.
The AWAMN president said the government had continued to promote circular economy principles through agro-waste conversion projects, cassava value-chain development and the commercialisation of research outputs.
He added that plans to establish a Green and Blue Methanol Industrial Complex would further strengthen Nigeria’s position in Africa’s clean energy transition.
Adebola commended the Federal Ministry of Environment for advancing national waste management and plastic waste policies, noting that their full implementation could generate more than five million direct and indirect jobs nationwide.
He further cited the implementation of the Climate Change Act, initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and programmes promoting cleaner cooking energy through expanded access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
According to him, these interventions would improve environmental quality while enhancing public health outcomes.
The AWAMN president also praised the Greening the Sahel Initiative, which seeks to combat desertification through extensive tree-planting programmes across northern Nigeria.
He said reforms in the oil and gas sector had contributed to reducing gas flaring and encouraging cleaner production practices, while Nigeria’s adoption of sustainability reporting standards and active participation in global climate engagements reflected the government’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Adebola also pointed to sanitation programmes aimed at ending open defecation by 2030, the Energy Transition Plan, carbon market reforms and efforts to establish a climate investment fund as key pillars of the administration’s environmental agenda.
He noted that green financing initiatives would provide sustainable funding for environmental and waste management projects across the country.
Describing the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative as a major intervention, Adebola said it would help reduce transportation costs and carbon emissions while benefiting waste collection operators through access to cleaner and more affordable fuel alternatives.
He, however, stressed that waste management remained a concurrent responsibility under the constitution and urged state governments to domesticate and implement federal environmental policies to maximise their impact.
Expressing optimism about the future, Adebola said ongoing reforms would continue to drive economic growth, create jobs and improve environmental outcomes nationwide.
“President Tinubu has shown commitment to environmental sustainability and circular economy development. We believe the remaining years of the administration will further advance Nigeria’s environmental and economic transformation,” he said.
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