The Federal Ministry of Environment, in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Tearfund Nigeria, has commenced activities to develop a national digital repository for waste pickers, popularly known as “Baban Bolla,” as part of efforts to formalise their operations and address the myriad challenges they face in the course of performing their duties.
Minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal said the move is designed to address the problem faced by “these heroes of waste management. We must all work together to implement solutions that guarantee better working conditions for pickers.” The minister made the remarks at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting on the development of a national digital repository for waste pickers in Nigeria.
The aim is to integrate waste pickers into the formal waste management sector, enhance skills and knowledge for improved safety and efficiency, ensure access to healthcare, education and social services and strengthen laws and policies to protect waste pickers’ rights and interests.
The Nigerian Police Force says scavengers are responsible for over 50 per cent of the crimes and criminalities threatening the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“They (Baban Bollas) are informants to kidnappers and other criminals. These Baban Bollas cause 50 per cent of the criminalities in Abuja. That’s a known fact,” CSP Austine Aniah, who represented the commissioner of police, FCT Command, said at the stakeholders’ forum in Abuja.
The director of pollution control in the environment ministry, Mrs Omotunde Adeola, assured the Police government that it will eliminate the criminals amongst the scavengers by formalising their operations and empowering those who engage in legitimate waste collection and management.
Chiranjibi Tiwari from UNICEF said Nigeria produces vast amounts of waste each year. “If the waste is not managed properly, it creates several health hazards. It also becomes an environmental hazard,” he stated, adding that waste pickers at the beginning of the waste management cycle (segregation, collection, transportation, processing, re-use/recycling) are critical to environmental management and health.
The minister said the welfare of waste pickers must be prioritised and recognised for their contributions to environmental sustainability and an equitable waste management system in Nigeria.
He described Baban Bolla as the backbone of waste recovery, contributing significantly to the recycling and circular economy. Their activities encompass all aspects of waste management, from collection, sorting, transportation, processing, and selling recovered and recyclable materials to earning a living.
Mr Lawal said waste pickers in Nigeria are challenged by a lack of access to decent houses, a lack of coordination and regulation by government agencies, exposure to several health hazards and risks due to exposure to hazardous wastes and a lack of access to adequate medical facilities or first aid treatment. He said the wrong perception of the scavengers due to activities of some miscreants who commit illegal activities like theft and security breaches makes matters worse for them.
The growing demand for recyclable materials and the transition to a circular economy makes it imperative for governments and the general public to recognise, regulate and integrate waste pickers into the overall waste management effort to unlock the immense economic potential of using them as reliable foot soldiers.
There is growing recognition that waste pickers contribute to the local economy, public health, safety, and environmental sustainability. Still, they face negative public perception, deplorable living conditions, and very little support from the government at the national and sub-national levels.
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