The Oyo State Government has charged secondary school students across the state to become game changers by embracing innovative solutions to environmental challenges, stressing that the future of sustainable waste management rests in the hands of the younger generation.
Speaking as the guest speaker at the Waste to Wealth Workshop themed “From Trash to Trade: Building Export Ready Products from Recycled Materials,” organised for secondary school students in Ibadan by the founder of Waste Museum Ibadan, Jumoke Olowowaste at the American Corner, Ibadan.
Hon Aderinto urged the students to begin preparing themselves for leadership, noting that in the next three decades, they would occupy strategic positions where they would shape policies and influence society.
The Commissioner described poor waste management as a global challenge that requires innovative thinking rather than conventional approaches. He encouraged the participants to see waste not as a burden but as a valuable resource capable of creating jobs, wealth and export opportunities when properly managed.
According to him, true sustainability is built on the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Refuse, emphasizing that recycling should only be considered a secondary option after reducing unnecessary consumption, reusing available materials and refusing items that are not needed.
He commended the workshop organiser, Mrs. Jumoke Olowowaste, for exposing young people to practical knowledge that would inspire innovation and entrepreneurship through recycled materials.
The Commissioner urged the students to become solution providers in their communities, reminding them that “he who provides the solution gets the promotion.”
