Lagos State has opened a six-day environmental training programme for 28 young people, placing ocean protection, waste disposal and practical responses to coastal threats at the heart of the exercise.
The 2026 Young Leaders for Sustainable Environment Programme, organised by Eko Envirotalk, began on August 17 in Lagos and will end on August 22. Participants, aged between 13 and 28, are expected to study environmental challenges affecting the state and develop practical solutions.
The programme, themed “Ocean Heroes, Guardians of the Blue,” will combine theoretical and practical sessions, interaction with environmental specialists and tree planting.
Programme Manager of Eko Envirotalk, Miss ‘Wande Seriki, said 57.4 per cent of the participants were female, while 42.9 per cent were male. She also said 57.4 per cent were students of tertiary institutions.
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The training comes as Lagos faces pressure on its lagoons, creeks, wetlands, coastline and other marine environments from plastic waste, blocked waterways, mangrove destruction, coastal erosion and climate change.
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Dr Mobalaji Gaji, said the state’s coastal ecosystems were vital to economic activity, food systems and climate resilience.
He told the participants that environmental protection could not rest on government action alone.
“Government policies alone will not save our ocean and our coast. Policy determines direction; it is people, informed, motivated and organised people, that determine whether that direction is actually followed,” Gaji said.
He said the Lagos State Government had responded to environmental pressures through climate action, adaptation, resilience measures, waste management and environmental restoration.
Gaji listed the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency and Lagos State Waterways Authority among agencies involved in environmental management.
Youths to develop practical solutions
The programme is expected to equip the participants with knowledge of ocean and coastal ecosystems, plastic pollution and climate change, alongside practical methods of addressing environmental problems.
Seriki said the initiative would help close knowledge gaps and build confidence among young people interested in environmental sustainability.
Previous participants had gone on to lead projects and influence environmental discussions in schools, campuses and communities, Convener of Eko Envirotalk, Mr Lasisi Adedoyin, said.
Adedoyin warned against treating the ocean and other waterways as places for dumping waste.
“Our lagoons, our coastlines, our creeks and our seas are under pressure as never before,” he said.
He said plastic bottles and other waste were already affecting waterways and marine life.
Director of the International Ocean Institute Nigeria Centre, Mr Williams Akanbi, said Nigeria’s mangroves, lagoons, wetlands and offshore waters supported diverse forms of life and millions of livelihoods.
He listed plastic pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, unsustainable coastal development and climate change among threats facing the marine environment.
Akanbi said ocean protection was not restricted to marine scientists, noting that people in different professions could contribute.
He advised the participants to “know the ocean, love the ocean and protect the ocean.”
Flooding and waste under scrutiny
The programme also drew attention to the effect of daily waste disposal on waterways and drainage systems in Lagos.
Assistant Manager, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability at Gracefield Island, Miss Oreoluwa Babajide, said the state’s relationship with oceans, lagoons and waterways placed a responsibility on residents to treat them properly.
She linked flooding in parts of Lagos to heavy rainfall, blocked drainage systems and waterways, stressing that routine decisions on waste disposal could have direct consequences for people.
During a question-and-answer session, one of the participants, Orepo Asake, asked whether opportunities existed for young people to work with the Ministry of Environment.
Gaji responded that youths would be encouraged to engage relevant departments to understand their work. He said the ministry was open to ideas and innovations from young people, particularly in the use of social media and digital tools for environmental awareness.
Akanbi, who told the participants that his interest in ocean studies began in childhood after watching marine documentaries, said he later studied zoology, worked with the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research and obtained a master’s degree in marine biology.
His message to the cohort was that the ocean offered opportunities across several professions.
The 28 participants are expected to leave the programme with solutions to environmental challenges and take up advocacy for the protection of oceans and the environment.
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