Environment Ministry Bans Single-Use Plastics At Headquarters, Agencies 

The Federal Ministry of Environment has resolved to discontinue the use of single-use plastics at its headquarters and its agencies to drive a culture of waste reduction.

In addition, staff of the Ministry and its agencies were requested to demonstrate leadership by example by implementing other personal climate actions in their environments.

Single–use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and service wares, such as bottles, wrappers, straws and bags.

Single-use plastic products (SUPs) are used once or for a short period of time, before being thrown away.

The impacts of these plastic’s wastes on the environment and health are global and can be drastic.

Single-use plastic products are also more likely to end up in the seas than reusable options.

The ministry’s resolve is contained in a communique signed by Malam Stanley Jonah, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the ministry, at the end of a two-day Top Management Retreat held in Kaduna.

The retreat had the theme, “Policy Embedment and Prioritisation of Key Action for Renewed Hope in Environmental Management”.

The communique added that the ministry has committed to pursuing the mandate to drive the actualisation of President Bola Tinubu’s vision through its 18 assigned deliverables and 48 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

It said that in order to achieve these deliverables and indicators, all Departments and Agencies must synergise and that the vision must be cascaded to the sub-nationals, organized private sector, civil society organizations and all Nigerians.

The communique also stated that funding was a critical element for the achievement of these deliverables and that effective communication.

In the same vein, conflict management mechanisms were needed to cascade management decisions to all
levels of staff in order to deliver on the Ministerial Mandates.

“There is a need to build capacities, provide frameworks and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to access additional funding for environmental sustainability.

“There is a need to expand our current strategy for circular management of waste to capture small scale producers and the informal sector in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programme,” it stated.

The communique, however, amongst other resolutions, stated that; all Departments, Agencies, Programmes and special projects of the ministry shall work collaboratively for the actualization of the ministry’s mandated deliverables derived from the presidential priorities.

Also, for sustainable waste management, a “Circular Nigeria committee’’ chaired by the Director-General of NESREA was constituted to facilitate the implementation of the Circular,Economy road map.

It stated that the committee would; prioritise mentorship, institutional knowledge transfer and
effective succession plan.

The communique added, “Procurement plans shall be completed early and submitted to the relevant Agencies of government to ensure timely release of funds.

“To fast track the issuance of the 3rd Sovereign Green Bond in 2024, implement programmes for capacity development, staff mobilization, performance tracking and strengthening of relationships between supervising officers and their subordinates as key strategies to enhance performance.”

Others include accelerating the development of the 2024 – 2027 ministry’s Strategic Roadmap.

The retreat, however, culminated in the signing of a performance bond with the Ministers and Permanent Secretary by the Heads of Departments and Agencies for the delivery of the prioritized mandates of the ministry.

NAN/Oyenike Oyeniyi