The Lagos State government on Tuesday affirmed that the environmental change the State needs must begin in all the schools across the state.
This affirmation was made by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Gaji during the year 2025 Annual Environmental Bees Club (EBC) Handlers’ Symposium held at the LCCI Conference Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
He added that the change can be achieved in the way the young people think, act and dream about the environment.
The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Director Environmental Education Unit, Mrs Monsurat Banire said the gathering is not a routine exercise but a strategic investment in
the future of Lagos.
He described the vision behind the Environmental Bees Club as not just an ornament but a framework.
He added it is a framework where students encounter the environment not as an abstract subject but as a daily practice of responsibility innovation and leadership stressing that
the role of teachers here is not incidental but are the pivot around which the framework spins.
According to him, The theme of this year’s symposium, “Trash to Treasure: Transforming Waste into Resourceful Opportunities in Schools,”
is more than a slogan. It embodies a profound truth that is within the very problems we face lie in the seeds of our solutions.
He explained that the compost heaps can become gardens, Upcycled waste can spark enterprise and what the children learn about resourcefulness today can grow into industries as well as livelihoods tomorrow.
He said the sub-themes for the practical engagement which include composting, recycling, upcycling, and creative reuse. are practical skills for economic empowerment which teachers are
expected to cascade the knowledge to the youths.
He said Lagos is a city which house over twenty million residents alive with growth and energy, yet burdened by the realities of rapid urbanisation, rising waste streams as well as the climate pressures of a coastal megacity saying
Gaji said the Ministry's commitment is clear and stated that environmental
education must not remain at the margin but is central to
building a Lagos that thrives amidst growth and change.
He added that the effectiveness of the vision also depends on the Handlers
who breathe life into the EBC across classrooms and clubs at both public and private schools across the State.
He urged the Handlers not to think of themselves only as teachers but as co-architects and drivers of sustainable lifestyles.
He added that every project they lead, every lesson they improvise and every idea
ignited in the students forms a building block towards greener initiatives and lifestyles.
"Let us leave this symposium well informed, inspired, ready to transform challenges into opportunities, and opportunities into lasting change.
"Together, let us build a generation of Lagosians
who see waste not as an end, but as the beginning of possibilities" he said.
Earlier in the welcome address, a director in the Sanitation Department, Mr Ramon Fagbolade noted that the Environmental Bees Club is not just another extracurricular activity but the Government’s living classroom for environmental literacy.
He added that it is a platform where knowledge is turned into habits, and habits into lifelong values saying the effort rests squarely on the Handlers' shoulders because they are not only supervisors of clubs but you are torch bearers of behavioural change in your schools.
He stressed that the excursion on the second day is not a mere outing but is meant to anchor their teaching in the reality of Lagos saying a city where the challenge of waste is also the seed of opportunity.
The Guest Lecturer, Mrs Temitope Okunnu of FABE International who spoke on "composting as a tool for food sustainability" said everyone must work together to ensure a sustainable environment.
She thereafter trained Club Handlers on ways to generate composite from food waste.
Participants at the training workshop included Teachers from Public and Private Schools in Lagos State.
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