By Bolanle Lawal

The Speaker of Ekiti House of Assembly, Mr Adeoye Aribasoye, says the Assembly will soon pass a bill banning single-use plastic to address environmental concerns, including flooding and plastic pollution in the state.

The speaker made this known during a pre-legislative stakeholders’ engagement workshop on plastic pollution in the state.

The workshop was organised by the Triple Green Environmental Development, TGED Foundation, in partnership with the Assembly’s Committee on Environment.

The speaker revealed that the bill has scaled the first reading.

Aribasoye pledged that there would be accelerated hearing of the bill for the governor’s assent, hoping that it would help rid the state of pollution caused by indiscriminate disposal of plastics.

The Chief Executive Officer, TGED Foundation, Seyi Ebenezer said the stakeholders’ forum themed: ‘Towards a Plastic-Free Ekiti Building Consensus for Legislative Action’ became imperative because of the risk plastic use poses to the environment.

She used the medium to encourage all stakeholders to preach against single use of plastic in their communities by adopting alternative use of disposing their waste.

The keynote speaker, Mrs Iyabode Fakunle-Okeimen, Chairman, House Committee on Environment, stressed the importance of banning single-use plastics in the state.

The guest speaker from Ekiti State University, Prof. Wole Adebayo, in his presentation tilted “Understanding the Impact of Plastic Pollution, Environmental, Health and Economic Consequences” harped on more awareness and sensitisation of single-use plastic and the danger it poses to the health.

He also said that used plastics can be converted into wealth by purchasing these products and recycling them into a refined product.

In his goodwill message, the Director-General of Ekiti State Tourism Board, Mr Wale Ojo-Lanre, harped on the dangers the single-use pose to human health such as terminal illness, expressing support for the banning of single-use in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders included market women, artisans, hoteliers, plastics manufacturers, students, environmentalists, among others.

NAN reports that the stakeholders noted the need for proper ways of disposing used plastics into the right channels and not on the streets to clog the drains, leading to flooding.

The stakeholders also used the medium to urge the government to turn plastics into wealth by buying them from the people thereby reducing the plastics on the streets and protecting the environment. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Augusta Uchediunor/Tayo Ikujuni