By Olivia Obijiaku
Parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, have been charged to embrace faith-based approach to waste management and disposal. A parishioner and a lecturer at the university, Prof. Mrs. Eugenia C. Akpa gave the charge while delivering a talk on the topic, ‘Waste Management and Family Challenges in a Changing Climate,’ during the ongoing Family Week at the parish, Wednesday, September 17, 2025, imploring them to quit the blame game and contribute to detoxifying the environment
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Leaning on Pope Francis’ famous Encyclical Letter on the environment, Laudato Si, the don lamented the indiscriminate poor management and dumping of refuse by many Nigerians, calling on them to commence the undoing of the ugly trend as individuals, families, groups, and communities, conditioning that, “If every family in the parish is committed to separating waste, we will do a great job of cleaning up our filthy environment.”
“We partake in bringing filth into existence, even in the normal our activities.” She noted. “A child in the Mass drops biscuit wraps and bottles of bobo. A mother cooking in the kitchen at home throws plastic waste, wraps of cooking cubes, plastic containers and bottles into one waste bin. And so, the Church is calling us, as individuals, as families, as groups to undo that which we have been doing wrong, so that we can make the world a better place.”
“So, we are called to avoid the blame game and start a faith-based response to it. Let us change from the blame game to being responsible. Yes, ‘it is the duty of the government to manage our waste.’ ‘I am not the only one dumping on that site.’ How can we be more responsible? The Church is calling on us to imbibe eco-virtue, such as self-restraint. We are called to translating actions, by reducing, reusing, recycling and compositing of this enormous waste we have generated. When we imbibe eco-virtue, we will avoid burning and dumping of waste indiscriminately – we will teach our children about the link between faith and the environment.”
Contributing to the topic, Prof Bernadine Akpu blamed the trend on attitude, lamenting dumping of refuge into drainages, which turns to hunt the society by getting into the water, soil, and consequently into the food that one consumes, leading to cases of cancer and other diseasess, even as she called for a change of attitude.
On his part, Dr. Jerome Okpanachi dwelt on recycling, disclosing that some families register with PECT Company for recycling. He intimated that wastes are separated into organic waste, plastic and glass waste, and depending on subscription, the company takes the waste to Kano periodically for recycling.
