Baba spoke via zoom at a Multi-Stakeholder Enlightenment and Engagement Forum organised by PECAN in conjunction with EHCON to mark this year’s World Environment Day 2025 on Thursday June 5 at Raddission Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

The theme of the event is “Our Land, Our future.”

The event was also organised to review the National Environmental Health Guideline Regulations, 2025.

According to Baba, the nation needs to safeguard the nation’s environment and human wellbeing.

His words: “I am pleased to recognise the fruitful partnership between the Environment Health Council and PECAN on public health through pest control in Nigeria.

“As you are aware, vectors and pests transmit deadly diseases such as Lasaa fever, malaria and others.

“We should standardize pest control services, train and control practitioners, strengthen surveillance, institutionalise inter-sectoral collaboration and bring stakeholders together under one regulatory system.

“PECAN has demonstrated that professionals can work hand in hand to ensure public good. The National Environmental Health Regulation 2025 is a life document that will bring all the regulators together.”

The EHCON CEO said further that the regulation was a child of necessity, assuring that the council would work with all the stakeholders so that the issue of definition of responsibilities would be well spelt out.

He stressed that the time had come for the council to sit down and make sure that one could not be a regulator and a service delivery company at the same time.

Said he: “There should be a demarcation of the works of the various stakeholders. The council, under my able leadership, would bring all the stakeholders together to ensure the implementation of the regulation.

“We will create an environment for the private sector to thrive. Every profession that is viable is strengthened by the private sector. It is important to step up implementation and increase awareness.

“We should know that pest control is a national disease prevention strategy. World Environment Day should not just be a celebration, but a call to action.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the National President of PECAN, PCO Olakunle Williams, said that the significance of marking World Environment Day 2025 could be seen in the fact that it was a day globally recognised for advocacy, reflection, and action in support of a healthier, and more sustainable planet.

PCO Williams stated that the Multi-Stakeholder Enlightenment and Engagement Forum was both timely and historic.

He reasoned that the event offered the participants a strategic opportunity to “collectively engage with the newly introduced National Environmental Health Practice Regulations 2025,” which he said marked a transformative shift in the nation’s national approach to pest and vector control regulation in Nigeria.

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He said: “For decades, pest control licensing in Nigeria was predominantly handled at the local government level.

“While this structure offered grassroots reach, it also created regulatory fragmentation—characterized by inconsistencies, lack of operational standards, and a proliferation of unlicensed practitioners. This posed clear risks to public health and environmental integrity.

“In response, the 2024/2025 Regulatory Framework has ushered in a multi-tiered licensing model aimed at correcting these imbalances.

“At the federal level, the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, EHCON, now serves as the apex regulatory authority—responsible for issuing national licenses, setting professional benchmarks, and eliminating quackery.

“The states are empowered to issue operational permits and enforce compliance, while local governments are repositioned to support community-level enforcement and advocacy.

“This collaborative model represents a paradigm shift—an evolution from monopoly to partnership, from fragmentation to cohesion.”

Williams stressed that the new regulation ensured that pest control operations across Nigeria were standardized, professionalized, and responsive to both national and local realities.

He then expressed appreciation to their partners including EHCON, the Federal Ministry of Environment, LASEPA, Ogun State Ministry of Environment, EHOAN, and other stakeholders, whose unwavering commitment, he said, had brought the association to a defining moment.

“As the President of PECAN, I am especially pleased by the strong presence of pest and vector control professionals here today.

“This is a testament to our shared commitment to raising the bar in public health pest management. Let us seize this forum to deepen our understanding of the 2025 regulations; foster cross-sector collaboration for a unified and responsive environmental health ecosystem; promote continuous learning, compliance, and capacity-building among practitioners,” he said.

In his speech, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, said that the state government had put laws in place to help the state’s ecosystem.

Ajayi emphasised that the state government had a law that people must fumigate their environment, adding that there were laws and several provisions, but that the government could not do the enforcement alone.

“Our environment laws are super. Engagements like these are important for the change that we want in the country. We need relationship in government. It will improve and get better.

“When we got in, we started shutting down places and imposing fines on them and punishing them, but we later became friends and we formed relationships.

“We have fine components for every offence committed against the environment in the state. But we need whistle blowers to inform us about some of these offences. We will continue to do our best to make the environment better.

“We need to be systematic the way we handle issues. When we do things right all of us will get credit for it,” he said.

Others who spoke at the event, commended the organisers and emphasised the need for the state to embrace a clean environment and for the residents to respect the environmental laws of the state.

An award was later presented to Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, who was represented at the occasion, as the Amazon of Environmental Health, 2025.

Also represented at the event were the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Hon. Tokunbo Abdulwahab, Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Hon. Bolaji Kayode Robert Affairs amongst others.

The event was also graced by several environmental officers from across the local governments in the state.

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The importance of the built environment in relation to the natural environment and its occupants is keenly observed all over the world. That was the main reason a Swedish 15-year-old Greta Thunberg did not go to school on August 20, 2018 but began a three-week strike with other young activists at the Swedish parliament, demanding government action to reduce carbon emissions. This invariably went global and she started a movement called Fridays for Future that has spread to about 128 countries to demand climate change actions from governments.

Our environment typically affects us in a number of ways, particularly in the role it plays in our happiness, well-being, and mental health. It is therefore pertinent that the manner our urban spaces are regenerated should take cognizance of the greenness, layout, urban form, density, energy use, reminisces, and property value.

If care is not taken, our environment would become so uncomely that no sane mind would desire to esteem or have anything to do with it.

With the strategic plan to upgrade and regenerate Lagos State into a model city-state, several reclassifications and rezoning have been carried out all over the state. It would appear the intent is to obliterate the memories of the old decent and upscale neighbourhoods to give way to modern settlements without recourse to the character of the old settlements.

Many people will be shocked at the complete transformation of the areas they lived in not having any relics of the old to evoke fond memories. The hitherto wooded areas have lost the allure of the greens and are now completely paved. No more parks, no more gardens!

Gradually, all the low-density neighbourhoods are fast turning to high-density conurbations without corresponding improvements in infrastructure. This is the current trend in virtually all neighbourhoods in Lagos—from Surulere to Yaba, Ebute Metta, Ikeja, Lagos Island, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. Even Banana Island is not spared! Many properties are being redeveloped solely for profit without commensurate provisions for greens, air spaces and parking. Our new age developers are bent on maximizing their profits without due attention paid to the following:

• Increased crime rates due to overpopulation.
• Reduced child independence and positive play behaviour.
• Reduction in street-level vitality and sociability.
• Increased errant behaviour of children due to lack of green areas and its distance to the street level to unwind.
• Inadequate open spaces to encourage equality and social inclusivity.
• Inadequate car parking spaces for residents and visitors.
• Overdevelopment of plots, thus depriving residents of privacy.
• Lack of attention to global warming and climate change concerns.
• Lack of recreational spaces for communal gatherings and bonding.

There is therefore an urgent need to balance economic gains (profit), social capital (comfort), and environmental triggers (emotional and physical well-being) that a neighbourhood presents.

Our leaders of thought, as well as the conscience and vanguards of the environment, should lend their strong voices to addressing the current anomalies ravaging our neighbourhoods, with acquiescence from the planning authorities. If care is not taken, our environment would become so uncomely that no sane mind would desire to esteem or have anything to do with it.

Today’s neighbourhoods can still be regenerated and made to comply to its density with provisions for adequate infrastructure as well as greens. The property value of such areas could even appreciate faster than areas that are overdeveloped. Such neighbourhoods would still maintain their allure, promoting equality and inclusiveness amongst residents.

In civilized climes, neighbourhoods established over a hundred years ago are still thriving and looking exactly the same, albeit with improved infrastructure. Most of them have become tourist sites.

The various master plans developed by the government should be revisited and implemented as planned. Our layouts should be subject to approvals and all necessary infrastructure, and statutory planning provisions must be put in place with a view to having a minimum level of comfort as seen in its walkability, liveability and ambience.

Judging by the desecration of the GRA in Ikeja, and the ongoing redevelopment in Surulere and other places of note, most of these old memorable neighbourhoods will become extinct and we may not have any legacy sites to bequeath to our children and grandchildren if the trend is left unchecked.

In civilized climes, neighbourhoods established over a hundred years ago are still thriving and looking exactly the same, albeit with improved infrastructure. Most of them have become tourist sites. Our planners should therefore endeavour to reclassify certain legacy areas as heritage sites that should not be tampered with in any shape, form or manner, besides maintaining them in their original states. Let there be a good balance between profit, comfort, beauty and productivity.

*Onabanjo is a Lagos-based architect, environmentalist, public commentator and the chief responsibility officer at Go-Forte Foundation.

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“The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment is to get everybody involved.” Richard Rogers.

I found it most intriguing on my first flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, when the pilot gleefully announced upon commencing the descent to Cape Town International Airport that we were about to land in the most beautiful city in the world. That made me very curious and could not wait to see whether the pilot was only patronising his country, being a South African Airline.

Going round the city, I found the waterfront overlooking the lagoon very interesting and lively with lots of tourists exploring the eateries, night clubs and amusement parks. The beachfront was very pristine with lots of picnickers. Scores of sightseers were seen playing different types of water sports. The Table Mountain site was very ecclesiastical with shapes looking like the apostles in the Scripture.

I visited the Cape of Good Hope, where the two oceans—the Pacific and the Atlantic—meet. Quite breath-taking! The picturesque lakes and gorgeous farmlands were a great sight to behold. There were the famous wine-growing regions and vineyards in the outskirts of the city.

I found it most intriguing on my first flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, when the pilot gleefully announced upon commencing the descent to Cape

Every part of the city was very orderly, lined up with trees, sidewalks, clearly marked roads, adequate parking facilities and historic buildings dating back to the 18th century. The architecture was diverse—a rich blend of Dutch, Italian, French and contemporary architecture. My host was so glad to show off the beauty of Cape Town and I was truly thrilled.

Six months after my visit to Cape Town, I invited my host to Lagos and promised to reciprocate his kind gesture by taking him on a tour of Lagos. He asked to see the beaches, our entertainment hub, the highbrow neighbourhoods and the settlements of the indigenous Lagosians.

We went on a ride to Badagry through the LASU-Iba road. We toured the crowded Isale Eko to see the Brazilian quarters. We visited the National Theatre at Iganmu, which was a shadow of its old self. We equally visited Ikoyi and Victoria Island to see the highbrow neighbourhoods. Our tour ended at the Eko Atlantic City, which is just evolving.

After the tour, l asked him about his impression of the city. He said Lagos packed so much energy and looked ecstatic and boisterous, but wondered why every available house in a residential neighbourhood had a shop and every setback space along the highway corridor had a burgeoning market.

He felt a little uncomfortable with the open drains, not because they were open, but because of the filth and stench they contained.

He observed that vehicles were parked indiscriminately, and abandoned vehicles littered everywhere. People walked across the roads without the fear of being knocked down by motorists. He wondered why pedestrians refused to use the pedestrian bridges.

Since then, I have deliberately studied the environment and came up with my thoughts on why our environment has refused to emerge.

He noted that signals were not dedicated to pedestrians at traffic lights and felt sorry for pedestrians who scampered and ran across the roads and lights once there was a stop sign. He went on and on. These comments deflated me. Not that I was oblivious of the issues he raised, but it sank in coming from an African.

Since then, I have deliberately studied the environment and came up with my thoughts on why our environment has refused to emerge. These have been categorised under seven broad headlines, but they are however not exhaustive.

• Inadequate physical and urban planning with poor implementation
• Urbanisation ahead of development
• Population explosion
• Quality vs quantity
• Weak monitoring and compliance mechanism
• Lack of political will to enforce and maintain discipline on environmental issues
• Not nurturing and appreciating nature

Each of these will be discussed in detail in the next part of this article.

*Onabanjo is of Go- Forte Foundation

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Sustainable development is defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Oftentimes, there is the need to balance the social, economic and environmental factors for sustainable development to be achieved.

As a student of the history of Architecture and the Built Environment in Nigeria, there is a serious cause for concern about the trend our Built Environment is taking when viewed against its sustainability. This calls for urgent concern.

The Nigerian government is a party to all protocols on climate change, starting from the Kyoto, Cancun and Paris Climate Change agreements. We subscribed to agreements to mitigate global warming and adapt and innovate climate-friendly technologies, whilst establishing Green Climate Fund to finance projects, programmes and policies via thematic funding windows. However, our actions and policies on desertification, renewable energy sources, pollution control, land care and management have not lent credence in support of these protocols.

The current trend across the country, particularly in Lagos State, is the emergence of developers, who mainly for economic gains contravene planning regulations by acquiring properties in low and medium density neighbourhoods and redevelop them into high-density apartments.

Whilst other countries are trying to reduce their carbon footprint by taking measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), by looking for renewable energy sources, we are already piqued with our non-renewable energy sources. Europe, for example, has set a date of 2030 to replace all fossil-fuelled vehicles with electric-fuelled vehicles. There are tons of investments in Green projects, particularly in the areas of Green Energy- wind and solar.

We need to be proactive and pursue with vigour and purpose ways of harnessing our energy from renewable sources. And solar energy is one source we should look at very seriously. Our efforts at desertification should be strengthened by instituting National Tree Planting exercises, not only in arid places but also in every planned settlement in the land.

With the downturn in the economy, the real estate sector seems to be attracting lots of attention as the housing deficit is increasing in an astronomical proportion. The government at both the federal and state levels should embark on massive housing programmes by creating new settlements to accommodate the growing population in a very sustainable manner.

This is the time to uphold the rule of law in all its ramifications towards the enforcement of planning laws governing our Built Environment.

The current trend across the country, particularly in Lagos State, is the emergence of developers, who mainly for economic gains contravene planning regulations by acquiring properties in low and medium density neighbourhoods and redevelop them into high-density apartments. Single-family dwelling units are pulled down to give way to multi-family units.  Statutory Greens are not provided and infrastructure is generally overburdened. This phenomenon should be checked and stopped. The planning regulations governing the various classifications of land use should be enforced, regardless of the land cost. Failure to stop this trend may turn all our decent settlements into massive conundrum of urban slums that will exacerbate the climate change challenges.

This is the time to uphold the rule of law in all its ramifications towards the enforcement of planning laws governing our Built Environment.

Our government should also not be reactive but should be proactive by providing the necessary infrastructure for the burgeoning population across the entire nation and leaving a legacy of foresightedness and order for generations yet unborn. This is the time to dwell on sustainability. Tomorrow may be too late.

*Onabanjo is the founder of GO-FORTE FOUNDATION, an organisation dedicated to the restoration of the environment.

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Go to a car wash

A way to prevent urban run-off is to take your car to a car wash. This prevents the washing chemicals from eroding the tar on the roads. When vehicles are washed on the driveway, the water carries the toxins from your yard and the cleaning chemicals into the storm drain which flows directly to our waters. The run-off water is the major cause of asphalt road deterioration.

Take a stroll or ride your bike

Walking  or riding a bike to places within two to five kilometres from your residence reduces your contribution to air and water pollution. Whilst walking, take cognisance of the beauty along your path and appreciate it. Also take note of the things that are out of place and draw attention to them on your group chat platform.

Walking  or riding a bike to places within two to five kilometres from your residence reduces your contribution to air and water pollution.

Reduce and reuse

Reduce the use of materials, where you can. Reuse wrapping papers, gift bags, plastic containers and anything else as much as you can. Recycling is very important, but reusing is even better and saves you money too. Try and sort your waste and put aside recyclables. Join recycle clubs.

Keep away from plastic bottles and styrofoam

Plastic bottles and pure water sachets are not biodegradable. Avoid using them as much as you can. Styrofoam is one-single-use material that cannot be recycled. Styrofoam is harsh on the environment and is often found at beach clean-ups and in our waters. Choose alternatives to styrofoam cups, egg cartons and miscellaneous other supplies that will inevitably end up in your street gutters or in a landfill. Revert to the use of glass bottles or flasks, instead of plastics.

Organise paint splash or community painting

You can join other families in your neighbourhood to paint up communal areas or highlight speed humps, or paint roadside kerbs or even line up your roads, beautifying your environment. You can consider painting your gutter walls too.

Find your voice

Learn how you can join friends and have a voice in decision-making in your community by participating in the zonal or residents’ meeting to support clean, healthy neighbourhoods. Speak out against unsavoury habits or developments you see around and help curb them before they fester into a neighbourhood slur. We are in an era of speaking up. Speak out until an action is taken or you take the action.

Get up and take a stroll around your community to remind yourself what you love and why you want to keep it clean.

Avoid littering roads with cars

If you can park within your premises, do park in there and avoid parking cars on the streets overnight. It helps with the tidiness of the area and reduces obstructions to street sweepers. It equally allows clear sightlines which enhance the security of your neighbourhood.

Get outside

The only way to keep your neighbourhood clean is to love and appreciate it. The only way you will love your neighbourhood is if you spend time in it. Get up and take a stroll around your community to remind yourself what you love and why you want to keep it clean. Getting out makes you notice new building styles and appreciate colours and new developments in your neighbourhood.

*Onabanjo is the founder of Go-Forte Foundation, an organisation dedicated to the restoration of the environment.

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Get to the real truth of the situation. As human beings we have unlimited potential for change, growth and expansion. So if you find out that there are limits placed on your profession or that new inventions are threatening to make you irrelevant or redundant, you have to push hard to retool, acquire new skills and make sure that you are productive again. Times are changing and new skills and technology are fast being introduced to the workplace. Artificial intelligence and robotics are changing the scheme of things. We have to consistently be on our toes to ensure that we fit into the changes, or else we will be left behind.

Another basic step we can take is to seek out a role model. Surely there is someone you can warm up to that has achieved what you are seeking to achieve?

Every one of us must have a vivid vision of our future. The Good Book says, “without vision, the people perish.” We all have to have something that we are moving towards, or else life has no meaning. Setting fresh goals each time we achieve ones we have in sight, is part of a practical process that helps us focus on success in life.

Another basic step we can take is to seek out a role model. Surely there is someone you can warm up to that has achieved what you are seeking to achieve. Understudy the person. As a matter of urgency, you need a strategy that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. That person will reveal that strategy to you either through direct contact or by his books, speeches and general actions which you can study. There is always a way through. Never rest on your oars of progress, keep pushing. One success leads to another. So, basic to your mind should be: What can I do to enlarge this process? Make it bigger better and brighter? Once you ask yourself the right questions, strategies and options begin to emerge. You need to know which will suit you better. Remember that one or two people would have taken this course before you. What can you learn from their experience? Take for example, you wish to enlarge your supermarket discount business. You must begin to ask yourself who has done it before? What were their methods? Sam Wharton, founder of Walmart Supermarkets, used to go out of his way to check on those that started before him, to try and find out what specifics they employed to succeed at the business. He would visit different department stores and steal their ideas. If you are interested in the stock market of your country, there must be one or two people who have made a fortune via the stock market. How did they do it? What was their basic strategy? There have to be some guidelines you can adopt and implement. Once you have your sector, strategy and role model in mind. Don’t hold back! Give it your best shot. Work hard at it and make sure you leave nothing to question.

Working at whatever position you find yourself can be tough work in economic down turns and pandemic situations, but if you can learn to give your very best and a little more to each client or task that you handle, you will stand out. Cover all the areas expected of you and go beyond them to give colleagues and clients a little extra. Having an incredible work ethic works wonders. Make sure that wherever you are contributing your quota, you are known for certain key characteristics that will stand you out when people in authority are into decision making. Have an incredible work ethic that will attract people to you and ensure that you have a great work reputation.

Oftentimes you may find you have to motivate yourself.  You need this when work is demanding and tough and there is no one to encourage you.

Oftentimes you may find you have to motivate yourself.  You need this when work is demanding and tough and there is no one to encourage you. Ask yourself certain questions: What has been one of the toughest times in your life that you got through? What did you have to do to get through it? Everyone has been through at least one major crisis in life. Most times the crisis comes with the environment you live in or work in. There must have been some specific steps you took beyond breaking down and lamenting and asking yourself those usual emotional based questions: Why me? Am I the only one on this planet? Those are usually tough times. So what pulled you through the situation? And most importantly, what did you learn in the process? What changed? Did you meet someone important, learn something new and useful? What was your life like before the crisis you faced? What is it like after? Usually it should be much better. What specific steps or paths did you take to get out of the mess and are you on a higher plain now?

The adversity in the work or social environment can take us to one of two ways: Its either we get better or we get worse. As human beings with skill and enormous potential we have to try and make any hostile environment our lever for upward movement. That is the best direction to go.

*Ogundadegbe is a renowned management consultant. He trains managers and executives in the arts of Customer Service, Human Resources Management and Management strategy (alexogundadegbe@gmail.com).

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