LAGOS/Nigeria: Twenty-eight young Nigerians have completed the 2026 Young Leaders for Sustainable Environment Programme (YLSEP), with organisers challenging them to turn the knowledge acquired during the training into practical environmental action in their schools and communities.
The six-day programme, organised by ÈKÓ EnviroTalk from August 17 to 22, brought together participants aged between 13 and 28 and focused on ocean protection, environmental sustainability and practical responses to environmental challenges.
The second cohort was trained under the theme, “Ocean Heroes, Guardians of the Blue,” as the organisers sought to deepen young people’s understanding of the relationship between environmental protection, community wellbeing and sustainable development.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Programme Manager of ÈKÓ EnviroTalk, ’Wande Seriki, urged the participants not to allow the programme to end with the presentation of certificates but to apply what they had learnt to environmental challenges around them.
Seriki said the participants had been exposed to both theoretical and practical learning, including engagements with environmental experts, development of solutions to environmental problems and a tree-planting exercise.
She also encouraged the graduates to maintain the relationships established during the programme and use their networks to develop environmental initiatives capable of benefiting their communities.
According to her, some participants had already developed project ideas around plastic waste management, recycling and responsible waste disposal, demonstrating the practical orientation of the programme.
She urged the graduates to embrace the identity of “Ocean Heroes” by taking responsibility for protecting waterways, marine life and the wider environment.
The Director of the International Ocean Institute Nigeria Centre, Williams Akanbi, similarly challenged the young leaders to identify ways they could contribute to protecting Nigeria’s marine environment.
Akanbi said environmental responsibility should not be restricted to specialists, urging the participants to use their individual skills and influence to promote awareness and encourage behavioural change in their schools, families and communities.
He emphasised that decisions made at the individual and community levels could have consequences for the health of waterways and the wider ecosystem.
The Assistant Manager, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability, Gracefield Island, Oreoluwa Babajide, said environmental sustainability required personal responsibility and should be integrated into everyday activities.
Babajide, who represented the Managing Director of the organisation, said economic development and environmental responsibility should not be treated as competing objectives.
She urged the young graduates to apply the lessons from the programme in their homes, educational institutions and communities.
As part of the programme’s practical exposure, the participants also visited Gracefield Island, where they were introduced to environmental features incorporated into the development’s planning and infrastructure.
Idowu Aderinto of the Gracefield Island team told the participants that the development covered about 100 hectares and incorporated residential, commercial, mixed-use and public components.
He said more than 7,000 trees had been planted on the island as part of efforts to provide shade and encourage walking and cycling.
Aderinto said the development also featured pedestrian walkways, cycling lanes, drainage infrastructure, shoreline protection measures and electric-vehicle charging facilities.
He explained that waste management was incorporated into the development through waste separation and recycling at source, with provision for a central waste collection point.
According to him, the island’s proposed power arrangement would rely principally on gas, with electricity from the national grid and generators serving as supplementary sources.
Aderinto said an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted before the project commenced in 2015 and that development activities were being guided by the approved master plan.
He added that the layout was designed to encourage walkability, accessibility and environmentally responsible practices among residents, contractors and visitors.
On security, Aderinto said the development had an evacuation plan and a security architecture designed to identify and assess potential threats before appropriate responses were activated.
He said the two-kilometre access route from the main gate also served as a buffer for monitoring and responding to potential security threats.
The organisers said the exposure to Gracefield Island was intended to give the participants an opportunity to see how sustainability principles could be incorporated into the planning and development of modern communities.
The 2026 YLSEP builds on ÈKÓ EnviroTalk’s previous youth environmental programme, which also combined environmental education with practical exposure and sustainability activities. The organisation describes itself as an independent NGO using science communication to promote environmental sustainability in and around Lagos State.
The programme’s 2026 edition also included practical engagements beyond classroom-style learning, with participants taking part in activities designed to connect environmental knowledge with real-world challenges. Contemporary reports on the programme confirm its focus on youth leadership, ocean protection and practical environmental action.
With the graduation of the second cohort, ÈKÓ EnviroTalk is expected to rely on the emerging network of young environmental advocates to extend sustainability awareness and community-based environmental action beyond the programme.
