Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has called for a lasting solution to eradicate environmental pollution caused by plastic waste.
In her message to mark the year 2025 World Environment Day, with the theme ‘Ending Plastic Pollution,’ in Abuja on Thursday, the first lady also advised people to curtail the way they consume food and drinks packaged in plastics.
On this year’s World Environment Day, with the theme “Ending Plastic Pollution”, I join millions of Nigerians and the world in calling for urgent and united action to safeguard our environment. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our… pic.twitter.com/dkvB9EIkwq
— Sen Oluremi Tinubu, CON (@SenRemiTinubu) June 5, 2025
“I join millions of Nigerians and the world in calling for urgent and united action to safeguard our environment. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, affecting our health, our environment, and our future.
“In Nigeria, we must rise to this challenge by changing how we consume packaged food items and how we dispose of plastic containers and bags.
“I particularly want to speak to our youths, the leaders of tomorrow; be it in schools or within our neighbourhoods, each of you has a role to play in creating a cleaner, healthier and greener Nigeria,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu had recently promised to introduce environmental solutions clubs to schools through her NGO, Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
“I want to use this opportunity to introduce our students to two programmes that the RHI will be launching soon.
“First is the Environment Club for Secondary School Students and the Environment Society for Students in Tertiary institutions nationwide to help us clean up our environment and grow more trees.
“Second is the “Flow with Confidence” for our girls in rural communities.
“This programme is to provide one year’s supply of disposable sanitary pads to our adolescent girls to support them to remain in school during their menstrual cycle,” she said.
The RHI environmental clubs in schools are designed to promote environmental awareness, foster social and life skills, empower students to take meaningful action, and encourage sustainable practices.
These clubs also aim to enhance critical thinking and creativity, support healthy lifestyles, and contribute to stronger, more resilient communities.
Through active participation in initiatives such as tree planting, recycling, and gardening projects, students will gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship.