LAGOS – Environmental activists, climate advocates, and sustainability experts have issued a strong call for urgent, coordinated action to tackle Nigeria’s escalating plastic pollution crisis—describing it as one of the most pressing environmental challenges of the decade.
The call came during a webinar hosted by Unity Bank Plc to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day. The virtual event, organised by the Bank’s Sustainability Team, focused on crafting innovative strategies to curb plastic pollution, in line with the global 2025 theme: “Ending Plastic Pollution.”
In his opening remarks, Mr. Usman Abdulkadir, Executive Director, Risk Management at Unity Bank Plc, underscored the financial and societal implications of environmental degradation. He noted that plastic pollution is no longer just an ecological issue, but a strategic business concern.
He said, “Environmental degradation is increasingly a business risk, not just a corporate social concern,” Mr. Abdulkadir stated. “We must begin to view environmental stewardship as a cross-sectoral responsibility—spanning finance, government, industry, and civil society. Unity Bank remains committed to embedding ESG principles into our risk management and sustainability frameworks.”
The webinar featured thought leaders and entrepreneurs in the waste management sector, including Sunday Kolawole Sholanke, Co-founder/CEO of PETsPoint Recycling Nigeria, and Omoh Alokwe, Co-founder/CEO of Street Waste Company Limited.
Sholanke presented a grim picture of Nigeria’s plastic pollution status, estimating that the country generates about 596 million metric tonnes of plastic waste annually, with 88 percent remaining unreclaimed or unrecycled.
His words, “Nigeria ranks as the 9th highest contributor to global plastic pollution,” he warned. “Much of our plastic waste ends up clogging drains, littering landfills, or polluting rivers and oceans—leading to environmental degradation, flooding, and public health crises.”
He further cited alarming global statistics: every minute, over one million plastic bottles and ten million plastic bags are produced. In 2020 alone, eight million tons of plastic bottles were manufactured globally—yet less than 30 percent were collected and under 10 percent recycled.
Sholanke identified Nigeria’s poor waste management culture, low public awareness, and lack of waste collection infrastructure as key drivers of the crisis. He also called on banks to support green solutions through affordable credit to eco-friendly businesses and increased investments in green finance.
Echoing similar concerns, Omoh Alokwe stressed the need for regulatory agencies to strengthen enforcement and modernise policy frameworks to discourage harmful plastic use and encourage sustainable practices across industries.