A Green Nigeria - by Esther Omemu

No, this is not about the green in the Nigerian flag or the green in everything that is Nigeria. This is more than that. To define anything about Nigeria is to go a long speech of very confusing statements that have no valid conclusion so I’ll take out the parts of the introduction that talks about the Nigerian economy of the Nigerian history and head straight to the green Nigeria I dare to speak of. As it is in may other countries, threats of an emerging apocalypse or destructive world end had led the drive for so many sustainable development revolutions and Nigeria despite its one million and more problems is already making steps albeit relatively slow in a similar direction. After years of oil and gas, the nation is moving away from the fossil fuels and into the renewable sources of energy. It's no surprise that Nigeria is among the top 10 countries with investments in green technology firms and strong commitments to get off oil and gas entirely by 2035. Did this shock you? You can’t believe it right…and well, you are right to not believe it because it is not true. This is merely an imagination from a person who sincerely wishes that while we thrive to develop our economy and take Nigeria to where it belongs as the giant of Africa, we must also thrive to protect our environment at the same time. And why is this important? You may or you may not ask…Nigeria already has a enough problems to worry about…well, while that is true, one thing we must understand is that those problems are nothing in the face of the incoming danger from neglecting our environment for far too long. There will be no time to worry about a corrupt goverment when our country erupt in flames and all our fishes die because plastics have soaked up every corner of the ocean. Going green is more than keepingthe environment clean, it is attached to our economic prosperity, the health of the people and the land and so much more. Nigeria is country that has so much natural resources but the country can never be a developed nation if it continues to consume this wealth without caring for the future generations. So what do we need to do? Let’s start simple first before divulging into deep sustainable and ecofriendly innovations. One of the things killing the earth is pollution, and the careless disposal of trash is one of its main causes. In Nigeria, it is not unusual to see someone carelessly discard an empty PET soft drink bottle or the packaging from a cookie. Unfortunately, we have grown to accept it as the standard. The beautiful thing about being conscious of our waste management is that it opens room to exploit how we can convert these waste into things of value and trust me, there are a lot of things it can be converted to. ENACTUS Covenant University successfully converted PET bottles into petrol, kerosene, wax, diesel, varying types of furnitures and then made interlocking blocks out of it. Imagine how much effect these solutions will have on Nigeria especially because they will help with a lot of our problem areas. Now, we will have alternative and cheaper means of getting fuel and building our homes. Now, unto the deep innovative parts, according to estimates, Nigerians use 40 million liters of gasoline or diesel every day on average to generate energy. In Nigeria, using sustainable energy sources like wind, solar, and garbage is a wonderful approach to reduce your environmental impact. A nation with an estimated 60 million petrol/diesel powered generating sets would see a significant improvement in the environment with the deployment of modular solar-powered generating facilities. Another factor to take into account is that due to the energy needed in construction and the materials utilized, buildings are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. Making ensuring that geysers or solar water heaters are installed in all new construction in metropolitan areas is one approach to protect the environment. Reorganizing the agriculture industry is the last and most important idea. Unbeknownst to most, agricultural practices contribute to pollution, and some have compared the environmental harm they inflict to that of the oil industry. The implementation of drip irrigation, the use of organic fertilizers, and climate-smart agriculture methods would all significantly contribute to environmental protection. These are just a few things that we as nation need to push for and begin to practice because whether we accept it or not, everyone will be affected if we choose to ignore the warning signs. So let’s get together and ensure that the green on the Nigerian flag stays green for future generations. Cheers to a Green Nigeria…and by the way, if you are a Nigerian reading this, I hope you went out to vote during the 2023 elections. If you didn’t for invalid reasons, may you feel guilty about it until the next elections! Until next time!

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