By Fatima Saka
Eko EnviroTalk has graduated 28 young environmental leaders under the 2026 cohort of its Young Leaders for Sustainable Environment Programme (YLSEP), charging them to translate their knowledge into practical solutions for ocean protection, waste management and environmental sustainability.
The six-day programme, which ran from Aug. 17 to Aug. 22, focused on the theme, “Ocean Heroes, Guardians of the Blue,” and brought together participants aged between 13 and 28 for theoretical and practical learning on environmental challenges.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Programme Manager of Eko EnviroTalk, Miss ’Wande Seriki, urged the participants to move beyond learning and become active agents of change in their schools and communities.
She encouraged the young graduates to apply the skills and knowledge gained during the programme to protect the environment, improve livelihoods and sustain environmental initiatives.
Seriki also urged them to leverage the networks established during the programme to create opportunities and collaborate on solutions to environmental problems.
According to her, the participants underwent intensive theoretical and practical training, interacted with environmental experts and developed solutions to challenges affecting their communities.
“During an interactive session, participants shared lessons from the programme and discussed practical actions to address environmental challenges in their schools and communities,” she said.
Some of the participants presented project ideas centred on plastic waste management, recycling and proper waste disposal.
Seriki said the programme was deliberately designed to take participants beyond classroom learning to practical environmental action, including a tree-planting exercise.
Also speaking, the Director of the International Ocean Institute Nigeria Centre, Mr Williams Akanbi, urged the graduates to become strong advocates for ocean conservation.
“Look into the ocean and see what you can do to protect the water, animals and anything going into the ocean,” Akanbi said.
He charged the participants to promote environmental awareness and positive behavioural changes among young people in their schools and communities.
Similarly, Miss Oreoluwa Babajide, Assistant Manager, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability at Gracefield Island, said environmental sustainability must begin with individual responsibility.
Babajide, who represented the Managing Director of the organisation, stressed that development and environmental responsibility must go hand in hand.
She urged the participants to apply the lessons learnt in their homes, schools and communities, saying sustainable practices could have wider impacts when adopted at the grassroots.
Earlier, Mr Idowu Aderinto of the Gracefield Island team said the development currently covered about 100 hectares and incorporated residential, commercial, mixed-use and public spaces.
He said more than 7,000 trees had been planted within the development to provide shade and promote walking and cycling.
According to him, the project also features pedestrian walkways, cycling lanes, drainage systems, shoreline protection and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Aderinto added that the development had made provisions for waste separation and recycling at source, with plans for a central waste collection point.
He said an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted before the project commenced in 2015, while the master plan was being strictly followed to promote responsible environmental practices.
NAN reports that the closing ceremony featured an interactive session, presentation of certificates, a sustainability tour and a tree-planting exercise at Gracefield Island, a proposed 200-hectare mixed-use development in Lagos.
As part of the programme, participants on Aug. 19 embarked on a boat tour of the Lagos Lagoon to apply knowledge gained during virtual learning sessions.
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They also visited the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, where they interacted with experts and gained deeper insights into marine sciences and ocean conservation.
The graduation marks the completion of the second YLSEP cohort, with the young participants now expected to champion practical environmental action and promote a new generation of “Ocean Heroes” committed to protecting the planet and future generations.
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