FABE VIRTUAL DEBATE FOR SCHOOLS ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2020 – Sunday June 7, 2020

Newton C. Jibunoh is an 81 year old Nigerian national who has crossed the Sahara Desert by car four times. His background is in Engineering, with a specialization in Soil Mechanics. He started his career at the federal ministry of works before joining Costain Group where he rose to Chairman/CEO, a position he held for sixteen years.  He is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Builders.

He founded FADE (Fight Against Desert Encroachment), an International non-governmental Organization accredited to the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development. He has received several honors and awards for his immense contributions to the course of humanity, including the Officer of the Niger in 2002 and a National Merit Award in 2016.

Dr Jibunoh is the author of four books including his latest autobiography, ‘Hunger for Power’ which was presented on his 80th birthday.
Jibunoh’s first crossing of the Sahara was in 1966 after completing his studies in the United Kingdom. His second crossing came 35 years later. Today, Dr. Jibunoh has had a total of 4 expeditions to the Desert.

He is the founder of DIDI Museum, the only private museum in the country which is located in Victoria Island. In addition to housing his numerous collections for preservation, the museum offers avenues for the exhibition and promotion of contemporary arts in Africa.

DESMOND MAJEKODUNMI, is an electro acoustic engineer, documentary producer, on air personality and an avowed Creation Carer. 40 years ago he decided to become a farmer after spending 3 years in Kenya working for CBS international and being influenced by their sustainable and profitable use of the East African eco system. On returning to Nigeria he started an agro forestry farm as an experimental extension farmer to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan. The farm has now been converted with the collaboration of the Lagos State Government into the Lekki Urban Forest Animal Sanctuary Initiative, LUFASI Nature Park which has a motto “Loving Nature”.

He is currently involved in several NGO’s including: The Nigerian Conservation Foundation(NCF) where he serves on the governing council. They introduced ecology to the national school’s curriculum and spearheaded the establishment of a national environment protection agency, which later transformed into a Ministry of Environment and National Parks Authority. He also lectures frequently to government agencies, schools, corporates and tertiary institutions on ecological management and climate change. He is an environmental activist who has led several environment protection rallies including shoreline protection that resulted in Governor Fashola of Lagos and President Jonathan visiting the Lekki beach and starting the development of protective rock groins and more recently the Lagos version of the global climate strike to Alausa. He has received several awards including a Silverbird Achievers Man of the Year award and an Eco Hero award from German Broadcasting Organization DW in Bonn.

Mrs Odeneye had her tertiary education at University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State where she studied Industrial Chemistry and graduated in 1985 with second class Honours (Bachelors Degree). She Obtained her Masters’ Degree in Environmental Pollution Control from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom in 1992. She has had decades of experience in both the Public Service of the Federal Government of Nigeria and Lagos State. Having worked for 23 years as a Scientific Officer at the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) which metamorphosed from the Environmental Planning and Protection Division of the Federal Ministry of Environment, she transferred her service to Lagos State in 2010, serving at the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos State Safety Commission and the Environmental Services Department of the Ministry of the Environment.

She has attended several capacity building conferences to enhance her capabilities. Such include NERBOSH (National Examination Board on Occupational Safety and Health, Offshore Oil and Gas Environmental Practices in Netherlands. As an astute Health Safety and Environment (HSE) professional, she participated in many capacity trainings and international congresses such as the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Frankfurt, Germany in 2014 and Safety and Health Exposition in London in 2016.  She is a Fellow of Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) and Specialist member of the United Kingdom based International Institution of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM). She also holds the membership of many Non-Governmental Organisations including the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON) and Friends of Environment Society (FOTE) among others. She is a community leader and devout Christian who is happily married to Mr. Seth Adetunji Odeneye and they are blessed with children. Mrs Odeneye was sworn on August 19, 2019 as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of The Environment.

Dr. Dolapo Fasawe is a public health practitioner who is passionate about improving access to healthcare and creating green and healthy environment in developing countries. Currently, Dr Fasawe is the General Manager of Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, where she is responsible for implementation of policies aimed at protecting and improving the environment in Lagos. With more than 16 years’ experience in pioneering new models of providing sustainable, efficient and effective health programs, Dr Fasawe served as the coordinator of the State Special Health Programs with excellent performance and achievements. She pioneered and coordinated the Eko Free Health mission to various local government areas in the state, where over 800,000 Lagosians have benefited.

Dr Fasawe is also founder of Development Support International (DSI), a Non-Governmental Organization, which has organized and deployed Free Healthcare Services to more than one (1) million beneficiaries across six states in Nigeria. Apart from Health Projects, DSI has been involved in safety and sustainability initiatives across different sectors including mining, manufacturing etc.

Dr Fasawe received her MB ChB Degree in Medicine and Surgery from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, being the best female student in Psychiatry and General Surgery. She also holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Lagos State University College of Medicine and a diploma in International Health consultancy from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Dr Fasawe is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary International and belongs to other distinguished professional organisations.

Ms. Sola Alamutu aka Green Queen is an Environmentalist, a Tourism Consultant, Children, Women and Cultural Rights Advocate.

She is the Executive Director of Children and the Environment, CATE, which she has run for over 20 years, promoting environmental health issues amongst Children and Young People and also Co-founder, President of Beach Samaritans, a volunteer-based organisation which promotes eco-tourism in Nigeria, through cleaning of public beaches.

She works as Team Lead for the children section of several Arts & Culture events including the CATE led Green Festival, children segment of the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF), Port Harcourt Literary Festival among others.

In recognition of her contributions to the environment and development, she has won several awards including; The Environment Outreach Magazine’s ‘Environmental Stewardship Award’; Travelscope Magazine’s Tourism Ambassador Award; ‘The Green Queen of Nigeria’, GQN, by Footprints of David Academy and ‘ANA/Atiku Abubakar Prize for Children’s literature, 2004’.

Temitope Okunnu is the founder of FABE International Foundation and the current CEO of Eco Schools Nigeria a not-for-profit, environmental health and sustainability advocacy organization. She has 12 years of experience in the non-profit sector where she has trained and empowered over 7000 youths and 2500 women and girls in creative environmental health and sustainable waste management strategies in Western, Southern and Eastern Nigeria. She is a certified Teacher, an Environmentalist, Promoter and Advocate of Environmental Health, Zero Waste Culture, Conservation, and Sustainability.

She holds a Bachelor of Science and education degrees in human kinetics and health education, and a Diploma in Biochemistry from the prestigious University of Lagos; An Executive certificate in professional Environmental Health from National Environmental Health Association in Colorado, USA; an ordinary certificate in Science Laboratory Technology, from Lagos State University, certificate in Occupational Health and safety from the University of Bergen, Norway and certificate in Sustainable Waste Management from Lagos Business school.

Temitope is currently the Ambassador of Noiseless Lagos, an honor she accepted from the Lagos State Government, Ministry of Environment (E.P.A.) in May 2019. She received the Nigerian Association of Physical and Health Education Recreation, Sport and Dance Award, as the Ambassador of the year in 2014, Awarded Most influential and outstanding leader of the year by the faculty of education in University of Lagos, Nigeria. She was awarded the 2017 Best Environment advocate of the year by the African Women Award and was presented an Award of Excellence.

Her foundation has continued to collaborate with the United Nations Information Centre, Lagos, Private Sector, Ministry of Environment, LAWMA and with Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency on various global initiatives, advocacy, and awareness programs such as the highly acclaimed United Nations World Oceans Day, World Environment Day, Earth Day, World Clean-up Day, Lagos Tree Planting Day, Climate Change Summit and the Green Challenge Events.

Before this, Temitope contested and won the inaugural Miss Environment in Nigeria (2006) hence her title as “The Environment Queen”. In 2008, she pioneered and organized the first ever United Nation’s World Environment Day celebration in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and United Nations Environment Program Kenya.

Temitope is passionate about Children/Community Development, Gardening, Wildlife Conservation, Upcycling, Sustainability and Travel (especially to eco-destinations). She is a woman with an impeccable inter-personal skill, creativity and enterprising spirit who possess the ability to inspire, empower, develop skills, and acquire knowledge for youth development, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. Her personality, attitude, achievements, and indeed her life successes thus far is accredited to the fact that “once she can think it, she will achieve it with hard work”.

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Agharese (Arese) a thorough bred occupational health, safety and environmental Consultant with a postgraduate in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London and a B.Sc. in Microbiology from University of Ilorin, Kwara State with over (17) seventeen years cognate experience, which cuts across HSE in Consulting, Non-Governmental Organisation, Local Authority, Manufacturing, Telecommunications, Private sector and Oil and Gas industry. Arese is a PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner, World Safety Organisation Certified Construction Supervisor, Certified Safety Manager and Certified Instructor (Masters Level), IRCA Certified Lead Auditor (OHS /EMS/QMS) and NEBOSH certified.
She is currently the Executive Secretary of the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), the Producer Responsibility Organisation for the Food and Beverage sector in Nigeria. Arese previously functioned as the Project Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) Manager DeltaAfrik/Worley for the Mobil Producing Nigeria Engineering Procurement and Construction Management Program (EPCM-1) and achieved over 8.35million man-hours LTI free, is an independent Eco-Consultant with En-pact Solutions Limited an indigenous consultancy firm and a Board Member/ Executive Advisor for EHS Grades International,

Prior to these experiences, she was Waste Minimization/ Recycling Advisor at Hyder Consulting, Waste Watch and Business Eco Group in the United Kingdom (UK), and had a stint as Technical Officer at World Health Organisation, (WHO) in Bonn, Germany. She was also a Research Assistant at Imperial College, London and an Environmental Analyst with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Abuja.

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Mrs Animashaun Abiodun holds a first degree in Pure Chemistry, A PGD and MSc in Environmental Resource Management, and a certificate in sewage treatment process", from Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizer, Maharashtra, India. She is a Certified Environment and Safety Manager. Former Research Assistant at Save the Consumers Initiatives.

Former Volunteer Trainee at Women Environment Program. She currently work with the Federal Ministry of Environment as a Scientific Officer.
An advocate of sustainable waste management practices at the grassroots level.

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Mr Adewole Taiwo holds a BSc. in Geography and an MSc in Environmental Resources Management. A renowned environmental consultant with several years of broad-range industry experience. He is presently the Chief Executive Officer of Taiwo Adewole and Associates Limited, an environmental consultancy firm. He also holds the position of Executive Director with several other environmental organisations namely;  RecyclePoints Nigeria, WasteAid Nigeria, Sustainable Waste Recycling Community of Nigeria and Consultant, to Richflood International Promotion of Youth LTD/GTE. He is the Country Coordinator NETIMPACT International Nigeria Chapter.

He has presented several papers and submitted abstracts at international seminars, conferences and workshops. He organized the 1st Coalition for Climate Change Conference in Northampton UK in 2008 and the second workshop on sustainable waste management in Northampton, UK in 2009. He was a chapter contributor in the book (WASTENOMICS) Towards Sustainable Waste Management Practises and Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria, published by Middlesex University Press, UK. In 2010, Mr Taiwo was one of the 115 Young Africa Leaders that met with the US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington DC between August 3 - 5. Recently, Mr Taiwo was appointed as the Africa regional Director for Emergy Consulting International Austria.

Presently, Mr Taiwo is a consultant to Amuwo Odofin Local Government SDG Unit on Environmental Sustainability. A Senior Assistant on International and Environmental Affairs.

Dami is a sustainability specialist with over ten years of experience working on environmental and social sustainability global in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, UK, and USA. She is a partner in Green Tempo Nigeria Limited, an environmental sustainability company and convener of Lagos Green Week, a platform for engaging on green and intentional living in Lagos State. Dami is a consultant for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and currently leads its advisory program on Environmental and Social Risk management for the financial sector in Ghana and Nigeria. She has also worked on IFC’s Sustainable Business Advisory projects in sustainable agriculture as well as climate change financing mechanisms for reducing emissions from degradation and deforestation (REDD+).