Environment ministry to discontinue use of single-use plastics in its offices, agencies

The Federal Ministry of Environment has said it will discontinue the use of single-use plastics at its headquarters and agencies to promote a culture of waste reduction.

Also, staff of the ministry and its agencies were asked to show example by implementing other personal climate actions in their environment.

The directive was 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, recently.

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).

Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister of Environment, in his statement after the retreat, noted that” “The ministry has signed a performance bond with Mr President on 18-point deliverables in the priority areas that relate to our mandates. Our deliberations were centred around the 18-point deliverables which are also in line with the 8-point agenda of this administration.

“Part of the 18-point deliverables include supporting the implementation of National Climate Change Policy, developing and implementing a Capacity Building Programme on Climate Finance with Allied Institutions or Agencies.

“We are also looking to accelerate implementation of the Ogoni Clean-up by increasing government commitment and support to improve capacity building, enhance monitoring and evaluation, create public awareness as well as explore various conflict resolution mechanisms and international collaboration in Ogoni Land.”

The communique added 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, organised private sector, civil society organisations and all Nigerians.

“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 actualisation of the ministry’s mandated deliverables derived from the presidential priorities.

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 mobilisation, performance tracking and strengthening of relationships between supervising officers and their subordinates as key strategies to enhance performance.”

The retreat ended with the signing of a performance bond with the ministers and permanent secretary by the heads of departments and agencies for the delivery of the prioritised mandates of the ministry.