On Environment Day, NGOs Plant More Than 500 Trees and Launch Plastic Cleanups

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

As part of the 2026 World Environment Day celebrations, students from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja participated in tree‑planting and plastic‑cleanup activities organized by the Hope Aglow Charity Foundation, UNA Nigeria and Bingham University.

Under the theme “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future,” the events resulted in the planting of more than 500 trees, the distribution of over 300 reusable bottles, and the installation of waste‑segregation bins in schools.

Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, the program combined school outreach with an evening international webinar.

In his keynote address, Chairman of Climate Action and SDGs at UNA Nigeria, Prof. Cynthia Amaka Obiorah, stated that nature offers a blueprint for solutions, but humanity must provide the will, policy and consistent action.

During the Lagos campaign, students at Obele Community High School participated in the “One Student, One Tree” exercise, where Obiorah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving the environmental SDG targets.

In a statement signed by Obiorah and UNA‑Nigeria President Prof. Remi Olutimo, the students were informed that the program linked deforestation to local flooding. The statement reiterated that “Trees are Nigeria’s first line of defence against erosion, heat stress and air pollution.”

The statement also noted that at Government Secondary School, Eneka in Port Harcourt, the focus was on Niger Delta issues and the lasting effects of water and air pollution on local communities, particularly those whose livelihoods depend on water.

Obiorah inaugurated the students as environmental ambassadors, supervised the distribution of more than 300 reusable water bottles to reduce sachet water use, and oversaw the planting of indigenous seedlings.

She told the students, “Be the solution to plastic pollution…We do not inherit the earth from our forebears; we borrowed it from future generations. Therefore, we must return it better than we met it.”

At Bingham University in New Karu, Abuja, students and staff planted shade trees and conducted a campus clean‑up. The “Think Green Before You Act” campaign promoted energy conservation and reduced plastic use.

A follow‑up evening webinar featured speakers such as Dr. Rui Dai of the International Artificial Intelligence Association, who discussed AI and climate action, and Dr. Tong Xu, Senior Observer at UN Climate Change Conferences.