Eko School Tour & Eko Green Competition
As Operations & Logistics Lead, I helped take the Eko School Tour to five schools across five Lagos LGAs — teaching students that a cleaner Lagos starts with a choice: you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. It closed with the Eko Green Competition, where the schools showcased their own environmental projects.
Part of the problem or part of the solution
Growing up, I was always told about the dangers of improper waste disposal — at home and in school. And for some reason, I'd listen for a while, then go right back to doing it again. Looking back, maybe it was how I was taught. Or maybe I just hadn't seen enough of the consequences to realise I was part of the problem.
One nylon thrown from a bus onto the road feels insignificant. Until ten other people do the same. Then a hundred. Before long, it's normal.
That's exactly the mindset we set out to challenge with the Eko School Tour.
The tour
As Operations & Logistics Lead for the Lagos State Youth Ambassadors (Lagos Division), I helped take the tour — across May and June 2026 — to five schools in five LGAs, educating students on waste management and the effect it has on climate change. We wanted every student to leave with one simple message:
You're either part of the problem or part of the solution.
At Iganmu Senior High School, one student told us that if he saw someone throwing dirt out of a bus, he'd simply ignore it — not because he thought it was right, but because he wasn't the one doing it. That "look away" mindset is exactly what we're trying to change. Many problems don't continue because people are doing the wrong thing; they continue because others see it and choose to look away.
The Eko Green Competition
We didn't want the conversation to end in the classroom. So we took it further with the Eko Green Competition, where representatives from the five schools came to showcase their own environmental projects. Honestly, I was wowed. Seeing students genuinely passionate about being part of the solution was enough for my team and me to call the initiative a success.
We started by educating them, then gave them the opportunity to be part of the solution — and they took it.
What I took from it
I grew up thinking one piece of litter didn't make much difference. After this, I know one conversation can. It's one thing to have a title; it's another to do the right thing with it — and a cleaner Lagos begins with us.
Special thanks to Ibile Youth Academy and everyone supporting this initiative.