Residents of Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, have continued to throng sewage treatment plant to partake of Ecobank Nigeria’s campaign aimed at ridding the environment of non-biodegradable materials.
The campaign code-named “Get cash for plastic bottles” is part of a deliberate policy of the bank to support environmental sustainability for all by removing at least four million used plastic bottles from Lagos drains and streets within one week.
Flagging off the week which runs from Friday, May 17 to 24, 2019, at the Lagos sewage treatment plant on Friday, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, said: “our sustainability activities are part of the universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.”
The idea for sustainability week, for which Ecobank is collaborating with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Alkem Nigeria Limited, a waste recycling firm he continued, “is to support the removal of non-biodegradable materials from the environment to support healthy and safe living.
“Plastic waste is seriously affecting our food, oceans, harming marine life and threatening our food chain. As a responsible corporate organization, we will do all it takes to check the trend to ensure a safer living environment. This is an opportunity for Lagosians to make money by taking used plastics to any of our collection centres in exchange for cash,” he added.
As part of events to mark the week, Ecobank Nigeria had asked residents of the state to submit used plastic materials like soft drinks and water bottles to designated collection points.
These locations are Ecobank branches in Ikorodu, Ojuelegba, Ketu, Allen, Ahmadu Bello Way on Victoria Island and the Lagos sewage treatment plant in Amuwo Odofin have witnessed high traffic in the campaign which runs between Friday, May 17 through Friday, May 24, 2019.
Commending Ecobank, Assistant Director, Ministry of Environment, Lagos State, Lasisi Adedoyin, observed that the initiative would go a long way to improving the environment.
He noted the various efforts by the state government to ensure a safer environment, urging other corporate organizations to emulate Ecobank, just as he enjoined residents to avail themselves the opportunities provided by the bank to earn quick cash through the collection of used plastics.
Also speaking, General Manager, Alkem Nigeria Ltd, Piyush Mishra, said the partnership with Ecobank would lead to a safer environment, adding that plastic bottles were impacting negatively on the environment.
During its 2019 Sustainability week, Ecobank organized a symposium for selected secondary school students in Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt with a view to teaching the students and young people lifestyle that exemplifies and encourages environmental sustainability.
Recall that Ecobank’s sustainability efforts had been commended and rewarded by stakeholders including the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
For instance, during the CBN annual awards for sustainability in 2018, Ecobank was recognized in four categories, including Sustainability Bank of the Year; Sustainability Bank of the Year -oil and gas; Sustainability Bank of the Year -power sector and the Women Empowerment category – the bank was first runners up in all four categories.
The CBN Sustainability Awards – a part of the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principle (NSBP), initiated in 2012, is an award that appreciates the efforts of financial service providers who have been able to successfully integrate social and environmental considerations into their operations, spanning across their processes and strategies.
Photo Caption: From left: Patrick Akinwuntan, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria (2nd left), cutting the tape to flag-off the “Get cash for bottles” campaign on Friday, May 17, 2019, at the Lagos State Sewage Treatment Plant, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos. He is flanked by Comrade Jola Ogunlusi, Chairman, Amuwo Odofin CDC (left); Piyush Mishra, General Manager, Alkem Nigeria Ltd (middle); Mrs. Bose Millan-Jack, National President, Soroptimist International of Nigeria; and Lasisi Adedoyin, Assistant Director, Ministry of Environment, Lagos State.
