A former Senator for Ondo North, Robert Ajayi Boroffice has urged Nigerian youths to collaborate with the government in ensuring a clean and sanitised environment.
Boroffice made the call in Abuja during an award night marking the 10th anniversary of Chanja Datti Recycling Company Limited.
He noted that waste recycling provides an avenue for job creation and poverty reduction, stressing that “the sector remains vital to environmental sustainability.”
He said; “The United Nations is very particular about the environment, and the environment has many components. One of the very vital components is getting rid of waste.
“The Nigerian government will be very, very pleased with any organisation that is involved in this very important exercise in ensuring that we have a very pure and sanitised environment.”
Prof. Boroffice, father of Ms. Funto Boroffice, the Founder and CEO of Chanja Datti, commended her for building the company into an organisation with global reach.
He said; “All we’re doing is to support her with prayers. And by her nature, in her DNA, she’s very hardworking.
“She has used every opportunity available to her to continue to grow the company, to even diversify, and most importantly, to contribute to national development in terms of providing employment, and also contributing to the education of youth, especially children who have not had the opportunity to go to school.
“And of course, as an ambassador of Nigeria, there are many fora in which she has represented Nigeria through her company.”
Funto’s mother also praised her for staying focused despite challenges, recalling how the business began from seed funding she received after attending a programme.
Head of Strategy and Innovation at Chanja Datti, Gabriel Onyebuolise, revealed that the company is expanding its operations to create greater impact for both people and the environment.
Onyebuolise said; “We’re always creating new projects. And one of the most exciting things is that we’ve been able to achieve decentralised collection of plastic waste. Now, we’re going to be transitioning to decentralising recycling.
“Meaning, we want recycling to happen at source, not just collection. And beyond that, we’re also looking forward to moving up the value chain, creating even finished, valuable materials, plastic products, from the recyclables we collect, and more exciting, producing polymer threads. These are just exciting journeys.”
He added that Chanja Datti operates 20 recycling hubs across Abuja, integrates informal sector workers, and manages factories capable of processing up to 400 tonnes of waste monthly.
Some staff of the company also received long service awards at the event, which took place at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
PIAK