A youth-led initiative, “Empowering Youth for a Cleaner Future,” has voluntarily taken to clearing illegal refuse dump sites in Makurdi metropolis.
This effort aims to give back to society and educate the public on the health hazards associated with illegal waste dumps.
The executive lead, Initiative For Human Rights And Gender Awareness (IHRGA) Nyiyam Ikereve in an interview after the clean-up said the organisation in collaboration with the youth-led initiative, said, “Empowering Youth for a Cleaner Future project has surveyed 100 residents in the Judges Quarters community to develop solutions focused on recycling, environmental sanitation clean-ups, and waste auditing.
According to her, “the initiative coordinates waste management efforts through community structures, including food vendors, domestic farm owners, business operators, schools, and hoteliers.
“This collaboration, promotes tailored recycling ventures that foster economic empowerment and enhance sustainable environmental and public health initiatives across various communities.”
She said, “A key aspect of the project is community-based waste auditing, which aims to hold private companies and government agencies accountable for the waste generated by their products.
“This approach encourages collaboration to drive innovative, environmentally friendly solutions, and we are working with the Benue State Sanitation Agency to keep the environment clean.”
She maintained that the model was designed to be replicable across other communities within Makurdi LGA, making it a potential game-changer for waste management in the region
Earlier the coordinator of the programme professor Zack Agbedeh of the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi who was seen packing waste from the illegal dump sites to be taken to government approved sights said the initiative was to support the government of the day in its initiative to keep Benue clean.
“Prof.Agbedeh also explain that the sanitation programme which is done voluntarily every week is to keep the environment clean to nib in the bud the outbreak of diseases emanating from dirty environments.
“Yes we have decided on our own to take care of our environment here and beyond, in doing this we have held sensitization meetings with Land Lords and even those who are yet to develop their lands to keep them clean to avoid dumping of refuge on them, we have also appeal for residents to come out and support this initiative which is yielding a lot of positive results,” he said.
