By Uchechi Afonne
The Lagos State University (LASU) has emerged winner of the 2026 Inter-Tertiary Institutions Environmental Summit debate competition organised by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
LASU received a trophy and N2 million prize at the grand finale held on Tuesday in Alausa, Ikeja.
The competition brought together students from tertiary institutions to examine solutions to environmental challenges, with a focus on transboundary pollution.
Miss Mary Falana, a 300-level Mass Communication student of LASU, secured first place after arguing in support of city-level interventions in addressing transboundary pollution in Lagos State.
Mr Yaqub Abdullahi, a 400-level Chemical Engineering student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), came second and received N1 million, while Mr Daniel Akinkuowo, a 200-level Law student of the institution, placed third and won N500,000.
The finalists emerged from an initial pool of six contestants shortlisted for the concluding stage of the competition.
Speaking at the summit, the General Manager of LASEPA, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, said the debate initiative was introduced to deepen environmental awareness among young people.
According to him, public engagement remains critical to environmental protection.
“The crux of environmental protection is public health,” he said.
Ajayi said environmental regulations and management practices were ultimately designed to protect people and improve their quality of life.
He described debates as effective tools for advocacy, noting their role in shaping public opinion and influencing policy decisions.
“We have realised as a team at LASEPA that debates help us strengthen advocacy and public discourse,” he said.
Ajayi added that young people remained central to driving sustainable environmental action.
“Anything you want to thrive, anything you want to sell in the world, you must pass it through young people,” he said.
He said engaging students through intellectual competitions helped to spread environmental messages across communities.
Ajayi also commended participating institutions, lecturers and university administrators for supporting the initiative.
In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr Tolani Sule, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Adeniran Kasali, described the summit as an important platform for generating solutions to environmental challenges.
He said the debate theme underscored the need for collaborative approaches to pollution control.
“Environmental pollution does not recognise geographical boundaries. Its effects transcend cities, states and nations,” he said.
Sule said no single institution or level of government could effectively address transboundary pollution alone, stressing the need for cooperation among governments, regulatory agencies, private organisations and citizens.
He added that while cities played key roles in enforcement and public education, national collaboration remained essential.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of CreditPro, Mr Shola Adeyigba, commended the initiative for promoting environmental awareness among youths.
“A business should not only be judged by profitability, but also by its impact on people and the planet,” he said.
Adeyigba said the company partnered with LASEPA and the Sustainable Development Goals Office to implement its “M-Passive Pollution” environmental sustainability programme.
According to him, the initiative involved donating waste collection bins to estates in Ikeja GRA to encourage proper plastic waste disposal and recycling.
“You now see estates making small money from plastics that would have been thrown into drainages,” he said.
He added that the programme formed part of the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance goals.
The Managing Director of Nisum Nigeria Ltd., producers of Ariane Water, Mrs Sumbo Olaitan, described plastic pollution as a major environmental challenge and called for collective action to protect the environment.
“Lagos cannot be sustainable without young people who can think, argue and act,” she said.
Olaitan said involving students in climate discussions would help prepare future leaders to tackle environmental challenges.
Also, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Mr Mahmood Adegbite, represented by Mr Adeola Adeshola, a director in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, described the summit theme as timely and strategic.
“Environmental challenges do not respect administrative boundaries,” he said.
Adegbite stressed the link between sustainable drainage management, flood control and improved air and water quality.
“We urge stakeholders to move from debate to data-driven actions,” he added.
The summit attracted students, academics and other stakeholders from across Lagos State. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma
