Unmanaged Wastes Making Nigeria More Vulnerable to Climate Woes — FUTA Professor

A Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Energy and Environment) at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Christiana Ijagbemi, has called for the adoption of sustainable waste engineering practices as a key solution to Nigeria’s climate change challenges.

Delivering the university’s 183rd inaugural lecture titled “Waste Engineering and Climate Change: An Ingenious Alliance to the Drawdown”, Ijagbemi warned that unmanaged waste will continue to worsen the nation’s climate vulnerabilities if urgent measures are not taken. She noted that uncontrolled waste disposal, common in many cities across the country, has far-reaching consequences for both human health and the environment.

According to her, methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide  is released when organic waste decomposes anaerobically in landfills. In addition to methane, poorly managed waste contributes to black carbon emissions from open burning, leachate pollution in soil and groundwater, and the release of microplastics into aquatic ecosystems.

Highlighting the link between waste and climate crises, she said the twin challenges represent two of the most pressing issues of the era. As urbanisation, industrialisation, and consumerism drive unprecedented waste generation, the impacts of climate change rising global temperatures, extreme weather, and shifting ecosystems continue to intensify. She argued that aligning waste engineering with climate change mitigation could provide transformative solutions to both problems.

Ijagbemi proposed decentralising waste collection through local waste stations connected to regional treatment and recovery facilities. She explained that this approach would cut transport-related emissions, foster community participation in the circular economy, and create local employment, delivering environmental, economic, and social benefits.

Quoting the adage “Waste not, want not”, she urged Nigerians to value resources and minimise waste to prevent shortages, reduce environmental risks, and protect the climate. She stressed that the so-called “garbage problem” could be turned into a climate solution through innovative engineering techniques that transform waste into economic assets.

She further recommended stronger collaboration among government agencies, environmental bodies, private sector players, and communities to expand waste-to-energy projects and integrate them into national climate strategies. Building human capacity through accredited training in waste engineering, resource recovery, and climate innovation  supported by local and global climate finance  was also emphasised.

Aligning Nigeria’s waste policies with international climate agreements such as the Paris Accord, tackling regulatory bottlenecks, and changing entrenched habits were among her policy prescriptions. She encouraged financing models like climate bonds and public-private partnerships to develop infrastructure that would turn waste into valuable resources while keeping urban growth sustainable.

Public awareness, she said, should be strengthened through nationwide education on the 5Rs — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — with emphasis on the climate benefits of responsible waste practices. She also called for national multidisciplinary research hubs and a centralised digital climate-waste data portal under the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to track emissions, compliance, and waste flows.

Concluding, Ijagbemi urged government, industry, and citizens to act decisively, noting that with coordinated policies, advanced technologies, and the right mindset, Nigeria could transition to a resilient, climate-smart economy.

In her closing remarks, FUTA Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, praised Ijagbemi’s lecture as a timely and solutions-driven contribution to national climate discourse. She commended the lecturer’s pioneering research in sustainable waste engineering and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to supporting interdisciplinary research, industry partnerships, and policies aimed at converting waste challenges into viable environmental and economic opportunities.

Oladiji called on government and development partners to adopt the recommendations, describing them as a practical roadmap for climate change mitigation and green economic growth. She also encouraged students, researchers, and alumni to embrace their role as change agents for a cleaner, more sustainable future.