In Lagos, Experts, Stakeholders Collaborate On Enhancing Air Quality
To raise further awareness about air pollution, a team of scholars from the University of Lagos, Akoka, hosted a seminar in Lagos in collaboration with the RENACLIP Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness about pollution-free environments. The African Technology and Engineering Network (AFRITECH) funded the seminar.
The seminar aimed to collaboratively design and develop solutions to air pollution in Lagos State. Dr. Rose Alani, the team leader and an Associate Professor of Chemistry from the University of Lagos, stated that the essence of the awareness creation was for the participants to understand more of what was happening and also let them know that they wanted to work together because they could not do it alone. “We are just researchers; we need the community members we will use as citizen scientists. So first of all, they have to understand what we are doing and be able to embrace it willingly.
Dr. Okwong John Walter from the University of Lagos and a team member described the workshop as a collaborative workshop for the participants. “It’s about getting information from the members of the communities of interest on safe places to install air quality devices. He said that at the end of the workshop, through the participants, about 40 new safe places were identified to install air sensors.
Also speaking, another member of the team, Dr. Selina Ogah, added that with the workshop, the group succeeded in getting representatives of the slum and grassroots communities to raise awareness about air quality. “We want to let them know about the importance of air quality and ways to reduce air pollutants. We believe that at the end of the day, they will go back and impact their communities and create more awareness for those we have not been able to reach. With that, we believe that with time, the air quality in the communities, the country, and the world at large will improve.”
Titilope Gbemisola Akosa, the Executive Director of the Centre for 21st Century Issues, made the participants understand the effect of air pollution on their health. She said, “It is also very important that they know the kinds of activities that pollute the air so that they can refrain from those activities as much as possible, and then they will be able to take care of their own physical health.” Akosa stated that the workshop was a significant opportunity for many people to learn new things, especially about the types of plastic they use, how burning plastic can pollute the air, and how other wastes, like food waste and landfill sites, can also pollute the air. She emphasized that these pollutants can enter their bodies and cause illnesses such as cancer and respiratory diseases, as well as aggravates asthma and other respiratory conditions. Therefore, it is crucial for people to be aware of these issues in order to live a healthy life.
