Engineers Brainstorm On E-Waste Management

Nigerian engineers are currently brainstorming and seeking ways to effectively manage e-waste which has constituted grave danger to the Nigerian populace.

At its 14th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, AGM, on Wednesday held at the Lagos State Printing Corporation Complex, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, the engineers gathered for the two-day event to chat the way forward on e-waste management in the country.

The event organised by the Environment Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineer, NSE, has the theme: “E-Waste Management in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, the national chairman of the Environment Division, NSE, Engr. Abdulwahab Ogunbiyi, said the conference in 2010 to examine the environmental impacts of telecommunication systems in Nigeria revealed that the telecommunication industry and equipment in-use were not the problem but the e-waste materials being generated.

“Generation of e-waste materials again is not the real problem; after all generation of waste is naturally associated with every human activity but how to manage the waste is the problem.

“How to manage e-waste materials and what equipment to use are the real problems to us in Nigeria, as it is all over the globe,” he said, stressing that the division has been working hard to find solutions to e-waste management.

He said a research committee for e-waste management equipment and facilities had been inaugurated to proffer solution.

Ogunbiyi stated that the aim of the conference was to bring together professionals, dealers and business men, service providers, among others to have a deep look at challenges and opportunities in the management of e-waste materials in Nigeria.

According to him, “sources of e-waste materials are numerous in our society today and dangers they pose to our environment, but if properly treated with right equipment and facilities, e-waste materials are great source of wealth, employment opportunity and a good base for technology development for the nation

“This conference is therefore not only looking for ways to manage e-waste for clean environment but also to derive wealth, create job opportunities, increasing the country’s technology advancement and create business forum for our business men and women at global level.”

“The size and benefits of e-waste materials in Nigeria are huge. It is our hope that all stakeholders shall join hands and with our resources and charting the right way, fortunes will be made from e-waste management while the environment is being protected in a sustainable manner,” he added.

— Kazeem Ugbodaga