A group of researchers from the University of Lagos, lead by Dr. Rose Alani, Associate Prof. of Chemistry, University of Lagos on Saturday, 27th of April 2024, organized a stakeholders’ co-design and co-creation workshop in Lagos under the project titled “Continental digitized African sensing platform”, an Inclusive Digital Transformation (IDT) AFRETEC (African Engineering Technology network) project.
The workshop aimed to facilitate collaborative efforts among participants to address air pollution issues in Lagos through co-design and co-creation approaches.
The workshop highlighted advocating for clean air, enlightening the people on the impacts of air pollution on health and informing the communities on stopping air pollution through the collaborative efforts of everyone.
Speaking at the event, Olodunjoye Moysola, Baale of Ajegunle Ikorodu said that people in his communities use sawdust or firewood to smoke fish, which is a true cause of air pollution.
“Am advocating on stopping air pollution, we need to have a solution, we need assistance from the government because of the cost of solar, communities need to be informed and also cleaning of drainage,” he said.
Hon. Titilope Akosa, center for 21st Century Issues, C21st, said that our health matters, let’s advocate for clean air. “What are the causes of the diseases we have now?
“Air pollution increases cancer and asthma and they are linked to the air we breathe. Pollutants affect health and cause climate change,” she said.
When asked how important it is to recycle waste rather than burn it, Akosa said that even when recycling waste, it also affects human life. “In recycling waste, it also affects the health of people living around it.
“Can we humans reduce the waste in our houses, reduce the use of plastics? Putting food in plastic plates or Styrofoam affects health. When thrown in the water, it affects the fish we eat, goats and birds eat them as well and it takes over 200 years to decompose,” she said.
Hon. Akosa who is into servicing cars to avoid air pollution from the exhaust stated that we need to start looking for things we should replace plastics with. “What can we use to replace plastics? How do we manage our waste dump?
“Tyres are not being burnt again, rather it’s used for bridges in areas like Makoko because the burning of refuse or using of charcoal affects life,” she concluded.
RENACLIP Foundation, an Environmental NGO engaged the three groups in the discussion toward identifying locations for monitoring, and giving opinion on how best to create Air Quality Awareness in our communities.
At the engagement, Mrs Bimbo Osobe, head of the Nigerian Informal Settlement Federation, said that there are ways to tackle air pollution and it will starts with the safest location where to place the air monitoring device and what it works for. “It monitors pollutants in the air, it shows the quality of the air taken in that area,” she said.
During the course of the engagement, some of the participants identified some areas and the reason for the device to be planted there.
One of them said that it needs to be planted in Ajegunle Ikorodu, Ajegunle Apapa, Dustbin Estate. He said: The people there run after money and forget about their health with the smoking of Fish.
“They do have health challenges but continue because that’s their source of income. They’ve been doing this all their life and we need to provide an alternative business,” she said.
Another participant identified some areas like Irede or Manager (Amuwo Odofin), Ibute laje (Bariga), and Adekunle Ebute Metta, stating that they are all fish smoking riverine communities and they burn their refuses too, which air hazard.
On how to create awareness to sensitise the communities about air pollution, the participants said that for it to be a success, they need to engage Schools, Media, churches, mosques, and Community leaders.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Celine Ogah, who said that If the country has a good government, with 24-hour electricity, would anyone need a generator and pollute the air? “Small nations are doing it, why can’t our country do it?
“We need to work together to reduce emissions. We should engage leaders, they should provide basic things like light, roads and also alleviate poverty,” Mrs. Ogah said.
By Benprince Ezeh
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