Life, they said, is full of surprises and the more you live, the more you see the surprises. People are making fortunes in different human endeavors. They see something useful in everything you could think of, hence, they always attempt to make something out of nothing. In essence, they sense light where others sense darkness.
It is with this that this short, but significant piece is made to take you to the world of a game changer, self-employed, skills advocator, destiny director, job creator, soul nourisher, explorer of peace in pieces, youth reckoner, recycler, pathfinder and ultimately, moneymaker who recycles tyres for a living.
The young lady, Miss Favour Oluma (age, 25) based in Abuja has created a fantastic job for herself and others around her. She makes delectable and fanciable pieces of furniture out of used tyres of various shapes and sizes for home, hotels and outdoors through recycling of vehicle tyres.
Favour reportedly got her new and lucrative job during the Covid-19 lockdown when businesses were crumbling all over the world. She said she has developed passion for her discovery since it makes her happy while doing the job and most importantly, it brings her money she needed to survive, especially that she is a student with the Federal University of Technology, Minna.
Recycling, according to the English dictionary, is the practice of sorting and collecting waste materials for new use.
It is the process of converting waste materials into new materials or objects for another set of utility(ies). In essence, recyclable materials such as tyres, plastics, leathers, glasses, metals, electronics, papers, textiles and batteries are recovered/reclaimed, reprocessed/salvaged and reused/reutilized. In this instance, things are converted from trash to treasure.
Meanwhile, there are a good number of companies in Nigeria that specialize in the recycling business. Some of these companies include: Everlite Integrated Resources Ltd in Lagos State, Lucina Lucien Ltd also in Lagos, Bentraco Industries Ltd in Onitsha, Anambra State, among others.
Fortunately/Unfortunately, all these recycling companies are mostly located in the Southern part of Nigeria, while the Northern part where this great mind, Favour Oluma hails from ‘almost’ has no recycling company, except “Chanja Datti” (a Hausa phrase/name, meaning; to change or transform dirt), which is situated in Abuja only.
According to the company's set objectives in their website, they are up to the task in creating value out of the waste materials (mainly) to keep the environment clean.
“At Chanja Datti we are committed to transforming waste to value! With an
increasing demand to rid our environment of non-biodegradable waste materials, we have made a commitment to making Abuja (and by extension Northern Nigeria) safer and cleaner one-recyclable-at-a-time, as we primarily focus on Plastic (PET bottles, pure water sachet, nylon bags etc.) and other waste streams such as Aluminium cans, Paper (old newspapers, old textbooks, corrugated cardboard, carton etc.), Glass bottles and Tires.”
Since the contribution of recycling business to the economic life of people and the nation's economy can never be overemphasized, a lot still needs to be done in Northern Nigeria to complement the great efforts of individuals like Favour Oluma in the region.
Amazingly, the business of recycling obviously creates job opportunities, it saves cost in terms of sourcing for raw materials, it helps in building community, while it also protects the environment by reducing hazards to the natural environment, while ultimately, lowering production costs and creating jobs at all levels.
The government and well-meaning Nigerians/Individuals should expedite efforts towards having at least one recycling company in each of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria. This is because the business can accommodate or create employment opportunities for teeming Nigerians, especially the youth at the grassroot level.
I commend the efforts of the current Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is an icon in the world of youth empowerment and took his time to see what Favour Oluma is amazingly doing. This kind of morale support will go a long way if complemented with financial aid. I kudos to him.
It is no gainsaying that the developing countries like Nigeria that are interested in becoming a developed nation should, as a matter of necessity, capitalize on human development and the creative aspects of the (individual) citizenry by giving all the needed support that would lead them to a successful story. The developed countries like China, Japan and some other western nations never took human resources for granted, hence, their development in every aspect of human endeavors.
Just like Favour, there are millions of productive youth in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. All the government needs to do is to explore them and render them moral and financial support. This will go a long way in salvaging the country from the shackles of insecurity, unemployment and abject poverty that are threatening the nation's economic development, peace and life expectancy of Nigerians.
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