The Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has emphasized the importance of a circular economy in balancing development and environmental sustainability, particularly within Nigeria’s construction, mining, and quarrying sectors. Speaking Thursday at a workshop in Abuja on “Mainstreaming Circular Economy in Land Degradation Sectors,” Lawal described the circular economy as essential to addressing Nigeria’s environmental challenges.
The event, a collaborative initiative by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the European Union, and the Federal Government, highlighted strategies to reduce environmental degradation and promote sustainable practices.
“Our landscapes, ecosystems, and communities bear the brunt of unchecked extraction, resource depletion, and unsustainable development due to construction, mining, and quarrying,” the minister stated, addressing the impacts of unregulated activities on Nigeria’s land. He cited visible signs of environmental degradation, noting that “unregulated mining pits, exhausted quarry sites, deforestation, and polluted environments are clear signs of the imbalance between development and environmental sustainability.”
He called on the construction industry to adopt circular economy practices that would minimize environmental harm, emphasizing, “We must prioritize land rehabilitation in mining and quarrying operations. Mining and quarrying companies must adopt zero-waste policies, ensuring that mining by-products, such as tailings and waste rocks, are repurposed for other industrial uses or construction projects.”
Supporting the minister’s call, Dr. Innocent Barikor, Director General of the Nigeria Environmental Standards and Safety Regulations Agency (NESREA), stressed that the circular economy offers “a transformative framework to ensure resource conservation and regeneration, waste-to-resource systems, and sustainable urbanization.” He urged stakeholders to collaborate on implementing sustainable practices to accelerate “the restoration of our land, regeneration of our ecosystems, and protection of our environment for future generations.”
Senator Akintude Yunus, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment, and Hon. Terseer Ugbor, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment, pledged legislative support from the National Assembly to back environmental protection measures, strengthening Nigeria’s commitment to sustainable development.
The workshop underscored the critical role of circular economy strategies in achieving a sustainable balance between economic growth and environmental stewardship.
