World Environment Day: Waste Managers Crown Tinubu As Generalissimo of Environmental Sustainability

By: Olufemi Orunsola 

The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN) has crowned President Bola Tinubu as the Generalissimo of Environmental sustainability in the country, scoring his government high in terms of impactful strides in environmental sustainability and waste management across the country.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered from the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) that the high-end commendation was given to the Nigerian President by the National President of AWAMN, Dr Olugbenga Adebola, at a news conference in Lagos on Wednesday.

During his speech at the event, Adebola praised Tinubu’s visionary leadership, which he traced back to Tinubu's tenure as the Governor of Lagos State, when he was the first Governor to introduce the Private Sector Participation waste management model.

He said the model transformed Lagos from one of the dirtiest cities to a model for clean urban development across Africa.

He further noted that the celebration of the President’s second year in office coincided with the 2025 World Environment Day with the theme: End Plastic Pollution.

In his words, "We proudly celebrate President Tinubu as the Generalissimo of the Environment and stand behind his Renewed Hope Agenda."

Adebola justified the commendation and reference to Tinubu as the Generalissimo of the Environment by highlighting key environmental achievements under his administration ho include: the creation of over 500,000 jobs through the Nigeria’s First Cleantech Innovation Policy and Sustainable Energy Access Project in all the local government areas in the country.

Other facts cited to justify the commendations included: the circular economy initiatives such as agro-waste to energy conversion and a €7.9 billion methanol complex and Climate Change Act and commitment to net-zero emissions by 2060.

The Waste Managers Association's President llisted other achievements of Tinubu to include greening the Sahel, with over 10 million trees planted in 2024; Oil & Gas sector reforms, reducing gas flaring by nearly half and Nigeria’s leadership in climate dialogue through participation in COP28, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, and regional summits.

Furthermore, he applauded Tinubu’s support for job creation, industrialisation, and climate resilience, reaffirming their commitment as a legacy of his pioneering policies.

Concluding his speech, Adebola said, "Tinubu’s leadership promises a sustainable and prosperous future for Nigeria."

For thevrecords, OTN News recalls that AWAMN is the umbrella body of over 2,000 MSMEs waste management companies & practitioners in Nigeria with members across the 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).