The African Clean-up Initiative (ACI) and its partners on Saturday cleaned-up a section of Mushin, a surburb of Lagos, to mark the 2022 International Youth Day (IYD).
The theme of the exercise is “Intergenerational Solidarity.”
Speaking at the event, the Head of Operations, ACI, Mr Elvis Umunna, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that ACI was commemorating the IYD with a walk for recycling and environmental sustainability.
He said that the aim was to create awareness and the need for a clean environment within the Mushin area.
“Now, if you took a walk with us, you will discover that the environment is really, really, really dirty. I have to emphasise that the whole place has been messed up.
“We have lots of recyclables, lots of human excreta here and there.
“The environment is looking very unkempt,” Umunna said.
He said that some health officials, who joined in the walk, witnessed the indiscriminate littering of the roads with human excreta.
Umunna expressed optimism that the officers would advocate an end to open defecation within the local government.
According to him, the mantra of ACI is to raise environmentally responsible citizens and instill in them the culture of caring for the environment.
He called on youths to be the vanguard of a greater future by contributing their quota to environmental sustainability.
One of the partners, Mr David Ogundero, Founder of WEVO, a non-governmenral organisation that Volunteers for youth development and social impact initiative, expressed delight in partnering with the ACI on the clean-up.
Ogundero called on youths to be involved in environmental sustainability by making sure they keep the environment clean.
Other partners in the project included LEAP Africa and Mushin to the world.
