Yemisi Izuora
The Ecobank Nigeria has sustained its campaign tagged: ‘Plastic Bottle for Cash’ to pick up four million bottles from Lagos drainages.
Under the initiative launched in May this year, Lagos residents were informed and encouraged to exchange plastic bottles for cash at designated locations across the State.
Out of the 4 million target set, over two million used plastic bottles have so far been removed from the streets as the project continues to the end of the year.
This was revealed by the Managing Director of the bank, Patrick Akinwuntan, during partnership agreement with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment on Waterfront Clean Up Program.
The partnership aims at enhancing the preservation of marine Ecosystem and effectively facilitate socio-economic activities such as transportation, power generation, irrigation and habitat to aquatic life.
The exercise, tagged “Cleaner Waterfront Our Pride”, was flagged off on Thursday at the Lagos State Government, Ferry Jetty, Amuwo-Odofin. In his comment, Joe Igbokwe, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on drainage and water resources, said the project was dedicated to cleaning Lagos waterfronts and educating people on ways of disposing plastic waste properly rather than dumping them into the gutter and how to preserve the Ecosystem in general.
Mr. Igbiokwe who profusely commended Ecobank for its continual support on environmental sustainability issues noted that each and every one of the citizens and corporate bodies are stakeholders and must be involved in helping to preserve the environment, as it is a call to action for all.
Akinwuntan said the partnership to clear up Lagos waterfronts is part of the Pan African bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy to support environmental sustainability initiatives with a view to making the environment safer for living.
According to him, the partnership with Lagos State Government and other non- governmental organisations across the continent was in that direction. He noted that the water bodies are priceless gifts of nature with huge aesthetic, tourism and economic values. He lamented that these however had been subjected to all forms of abuse and degradation, including dumping and littering with solid wastes and all forms of debris.
The Managing Director who was represented by Tunde Dawodu, a General Manager in the bank, pointed out that there should be a culture change on the way we dispose of our garbage. This he noted starts with every one of us.
He noted that it was in recognition of this fact, that Ecobank in May this year launched a campaign tagged: ‘Plastic Bottle for Cash’ to pick up four million bottles from Lagos drainages.
According to him, “this initiative is part of our sustainability week for 2019, designed to create awareness on environmental sustainability and to buttress the fact that as a bank, we take time in helping to protect the environment where we operate. Ecobank is an environmentally friendly and socially responsible entity in alignment with the expectation of the Nigeria Sustainability Banking Policy of Central Bank of Nigeria.” He noted that the 2019 campaign centred on cleaning Lagos and its environs of used plastic bottles along streets, drainages and water ways by collecting and recycling four million plastic bottles. “We hope to reduce this menace affecting our ocean marine life and threatening the food chain. As a responsible corporate organisation, the bank will do all it takes to check the trend to ensure a safer living environment for every one of us”.