- Lagos Empowers Students as Safety Ambassadors on Environment, Fire Safety
- Mr. Jamiu Ali-Balogun stressed the need for collective responsibility in achieving a safer and more sustainable environment
- Participants also received training on basic fire prevention and emergency response
The Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has organised a sensitisation programme on waste management sustainability and fire prevention for students and teachers from public secondary schools across the state.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the programme, held recently at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, featured presentations from the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services.
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It focused on proper waste sorting, recycling, use of fire extinguishers, emergency response procedures, and strategies for preventing fire outbreaks in schools and communities.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Ali-Balogun, stressed the need for collective responsibility in achieving a safer and more sustainable environment. He said the initiative was designed to empower students to serve as Safety Ambassadors, promoting environmental awareness and safety practices within their schools and neighbourhoods.
Ali-Balogun commended students for taking proactive steps towards proper waste management and fire prevention, noting that simple habits such as switching off electrical appliances at home and in schools could significantly reduce safety risks. According to him, ensuring a safer environment begins with individual actions.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Abisola Dokunmu-Adegbite, described the programme as timely and critical, emphasising that a clean and safe school environment is essential for effective teaching and learning. She warned that poor waste management and negligence could lead to unhealthy conditions, disease outbreaks, and environmental degradation.
Dokunmu-Adegbite urged students, teachers, and school staff to work together to keep classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, playgrounds, and school premises clean and safe. She added that the programme was aimed at equipping students with practical skills in waste sorting, disposal, recycling, and identifying fire hazards in schools and homes.
Participants also received training on basic fire prevention and emergency response, with emphasis placed on the role of teachers in supervising and enforcing environmental and safety rules. Students were encouraged to act as Change Ambassadors by applying the lessons learned and sharing the knowledge within their communities.
In her presentation on waste management and sustainability, Director and Head of LAWMA Academy, Mrs. Bola Adewunmi, highlighted the importance of a clean environment and explained the concept of the circular economy. She introduced the ‘7Rs’ of effective waste management; Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Re-think and Recover stressing that waste only becomes waste when it is not properly managed.
Also speaking, an Assistant Chief Fire Officer with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, Mr. Babatunde Afoju, noted that fire could be beneficial when properly controlled but dangerous if mishandled. He described fire safety as a shared responsibility and urged participants to contact emergency toll-free numbers 112 or 767 in the event of fire incidents.
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