As part of events to mark this year’s World Clean up day, members of organizations in the environmental space visited major areas in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital, to clean up the environment and sensitize the people on the essence of healthy environment.
The “World Cleanup Day” is celebrated every third Saturday in September, bringing people together worldwide to clean up and care for their communities.
The theme for this year’s WCD is “Let’s Do It World,” to manage solid waste and clean up litter from forests, rivers, streets, and beaches. It was organized by Susty Vibes.
Speaking during the exercise that culminated at the Post Office central area of the city, Busari Jamaldeen, President Green Club, University of Ilorin, said the exercise was to mark the day and in continuation of their clean environment campaign.
The Final year Faculty of Law student of the University of Ilorin, said the clean-up exercise which had held in a couple of places in partnership with other environmental bodies, will continue until the society imbibes the attitude.
Also speaking, a member of Green Globe Initiative, GGI, Adeoti Comfort, said the sensitization becomes imperative, following the need for the people to know the implication of an unhealthy environment.
Adeoti expressed worry that food vendors still sell their products beside heap of refuse and other unhealthy environment, without taking cognizance of the adverse effects of their action.
“This is why any time we go about like this, we must continue to let them understand this, so they can also spread the message. An healthy environment makes healthy nation,” she said.
Another participant, Mr Samuel Olorunsola, said people need to be sensitized on the impact of cleanliness, which according to him ensures healthy living and saves us avoidable expenses on medical treatment.
He also explained that an healthy environment helps to preserve the environment and facilities.
According to him, sometimes, people take ill because of an unhealthy environment. If we all learn to keep our environments clean, we can then live a healthy life and avoid spending our hard-earned money on treating avoidable sickness.
In her own submission, Iliasu Walia, member of Plug-in Nigeria, University of Ilorin, said she took part in the clean-up exercise in order to contribute her quota towards achieving a clean environment and let people know the dangers in dirty environment.
Walia, a 100 level Law student of the University of Ilorin, said the campaign is already yielding positive results as some people are already inculcating the practice of keeping their communities clean while some are yet to.
While also noting some of the challenges in disposing waste, she called on the government to provide necessary facilities to aid appropriate disposal of wastes.