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The Vice-Chancellor, of the university, Prof Akpofure Rim-Rukeh
The Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, says it would commence a programme on waste management and technology for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The Vice-Chancellor, of the university, Prof Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, disclosed this on Monday, shortly after launching the Zero Waste Campus Project sponsored by an NGO, the Community Development Advocacy Foundation at the institution.
FUPRE VC noted that the university was a bedrock of knowledge that finds solutions, especially environmental problems, stressing the effect of improper waste management.
He said, “The university through the Center for Waste Management thought it necessary to collaborate with our partners to initiate this project and to remove waste from the university and convert waste to wealth for the betterment of society.
“We are trying to contribute from our knowledge for the betterment of the university campus where we have over 15,000 students and extend it to the society.
“Before the appeal and request, I spoke with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin, that we are missing knowledge gap in this country in terms of sustainability.
“We expect to see people with BSc Animal Science, that is too wide, we intend to bring in the waste to a very lower level, like Post Graduate Diploma in Waste Management and Technology.
“The university management is in total support and will commence the program at the 2025/2026 academic session, as we teach the technology of waste management and the principles.”
Earlier, the Executive Director, CODAF, Mr. Richard Benin called on tertiary institutions to create an ecosystem where responsible consumption, waste reduction and recycling are given top priority.
He said they have started a journey that will change the world and lead to sustainability, which empowers our university community to take meaningful action against the pressing challenges of plastic pollution, particularly the scourge of single-use plastics.
“It may interest you to know that, the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, is the first Institution in Nigeria to kick-start this project and it is imperative to put in our best, to make this institution the first Zero Waste Varsity in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
“It is our duty as a community of thinkers and researchers to set an example by demonstrating values and principles of sustainability and responsibility.
“The Zero Waste Campus Project is a comprehensive strategy to promote a sustainable culture on our campuses, not only reducing plastic waste. Our goal is to establish an ecosystem where responsible consumption, waste reduction and recycling/composting are given top priority.
“I want to personally make this request to the Vice Chancellor and the school management to establish a Post Graduate Program on Zero Waste Project by providing our students not only health and safety concerns but a critical step in diminishing our reliance on plastic waste.
“Within this ecosystem, every member of the university community will be able to actively contribute to the quest for a healthy and green planet and together we will implement innovative solutions such as the introduction of reusable containers, education on waste sorting and advocacy for sustainable alternatives” he explained.
Benin said if the Post Graduate Programme on Zero Waste is approved, the institution would have once again written its name in the sands of time. FUPRE will be the first institution on planet Earth to have such program.
