Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Barr. Temilola Seun Ashamu, said on Thursday that the Oyo State Government has been working hard towards positioning the state as Nigeria’s leading sub-national in terms of climate action and sustainable systems, while also creating green jobs.
The Commissioner stated that the mandate of the Ministry is beyond refuse collection as it is erroneously portrayed, saying that the Ministry is saddled with the responsibility of executing environmental reforms across urban waste management, climate resilience and ecological infrastructure.
Speaking at the morning session of the Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing held at the Governor’s Office Briefing Room, Ashamu stated that his Ministry has been taking pragmatic actions in the areas of climate action, waste management, afforestation, ecology and erosion control and reduction of environmental pollution.
He said: “Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s administration has embedded environmental governance as a pillar of sustainable development in Oyo State. Through institutional reform, strategic investment, and public-private collaboration, we have laid the foundation for a cleaner, healthier, and more climate-resilient future.
“By aligning local action with global goals, Oyo State is not only improving environmental services today but building the governance systems and partnerships that will sustain progress long into the future.
“The Ministry has remained committed to transparency, innovation, and service delivery for the people of Oyo State.”
According to Ashamu, the Oyo State Government has done so much on Climate Action, Forestry and Environmental Regulation, stating that in the area of afforestation and biodiversity, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and its partners have planted about 30,000 trees in the last six years, covering about 111 hectares of land in the state’s forest reserves.
He added that it also established three hectares of indigenous trees and three hectares of medicinal herbariums with species such as Moringaoleifera, Irvingiagabonensis, and Chrysophyllumalbidum, while it also embarked on climate change education and also registered about 474 environmental consultants and recruited 111 new staff to strengthen enforcement and field operations.
“There have also been a number of measures taken in terms of climate resilience and protection from flooding. For instance, about 153 kilometres of blocked drains and culverts have been desilted across the state. About 18 flood-prone streams have been dredged. And, there has been channelisation on about 30 kilometres of flood-prone rivers across the state.
“There has also been the construction of about 50 bridges and culverts. This has come under a number of programmes done directly by the Ministry, IUFMP, NewMap, and a number of other partners.
“Currently in Ibadan, we have an early warning system, which is actually the first of its kind in Africa for a sub-national government to have. It alerts the residents approximately 72 hours before any flood would occur, which naturally enhances our ability to save lives in the capital city of the state.
“If we cast our minds back maybe four or five days ago, there were flood warnings coming out, particularly as it related to Akinyele and Egbeda local governments. That’s a direct effect of some of the equipment and the measures that the state government has put in place in the last six years,” he added.
Also speaking on the Ministry’s efforts in the area of waste management, Ashamu noted that it has put in place a Private Sector Participants (PSP) reform and system architecture, which have helped in boosting the government’s effort in waste management.
He said that waste collection in Ibadan is now structured into 11 zonal clusters, each serviced by licensed Private Sector Participants (PSPs) registered under government revenue codes, with 14 waste consultants and over 190 PSPs registered and currently operating.
The Commissioner added that the Ministry has also embarked on a stakeholder engagement to sensitise residents, while public enlightenment and enforcement have also been ongoing, stating that the Ministry has sensitised markets and communities, while 750 illegal waste dumpers, 370 street traders and 20 illegal PSPs have been prosecuted.
He charged members of the public to only patronise registered PSPs and to avoid illegal dumping of waste, as he noted that such actions would be met with the wrath of the law, adding that the government has also succeeded in cleaning the environment of 73 public schools, which had shanties, thereby creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
The Environment Commissioner equally maintained that the Ministry achieved positive results in the areas of urban beautification, public health promotion and water resources regulation.
On his Ministry’s projections for the future, Ashamu said that the government would focus on expanding tree-planting for soil stabilization, environmental beautification, erosion control, urban greening and climate adaptation, which he said is in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals 13, 15 and 11.
He added that the Ministry would also develop and implement a cross-sectoral Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework to embed sustainability and risk management in public service delivery—from health and education to roads and infrastructure, while it would also develop a state-wide climate policy to address emissions mitigation, resilience planning, disaster risk reduction, and financing pathways.
Ashamu also hinted that the state would explore the next phase of waste management by transitioning to formalised recycling systems, while it will also continue to dredge and desilt waterways in areas prone to flood.
The Commissioner attended the briefing with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Sunday Ojelabi, Directors and other officials.
