Favour Philip: Nigerian Model On An Environmental Cleasing Mission
Having nursed the idea of ridding the nation of environmental pollution since childhood, delectable Nigerian model, Favour Philip has not stopped in her quest.
The 27 years old, Imo State born graduate of Business Administration and Management, Imo State University, who is an entrepreneur, business consultant, environmental activist and humanitarian is very passionate about the environment, health and a better life for people around her.
Growing up, Favour who runs her own business and has a charity organization/foundation – Favour Philip Foundation – always wondered why the streets where littered, why people suffered from different illnesses, hence she vowed to do everything possible to better the life of people around her.
She had singlehandedly embarked on clearing of waste dumps in Port Harcourt severally and has taken it upon herself to sensitize people around her about the dangers of environmental pollutions, the risk, the illnesses and damages these bring to people’s lives and properties.
Speaking on the inspiration behind her campaign on ending environmental pollution, she said; “My inspiration came from my lifelong dream of ending environmental pollutions and hazards. Growing up, I had always wondered why the streets where littered with trash, why the environment was so unkempt, why people couldn’t properly bag their trashes to avoid bacteria from spreading, why people throw their trashes on the streets and in gutters when it rains, why the rivers became dumping sites for refuse. The worst was seeing innocent children die due to cholera. I was consumed with my thoughts and quest for answers until I finally got the answers and solutions to ending environmental pollutions.”
However, her campaign has not been without challenges. According to her, educating the public on environmental pollution is quite a herculean task.
She said, “Yes I have encountered some challenges. Sensitizing the public and bringing awareness about the dangers of environmental pollutions is not such an easy thing to do especially when you are talking to people who thinks they are doing the right thing, most people just see it as a total waste of time, I get questions like; are you the one that will fix Nigeria? Another challenge I face is reaching out to the government, getting the government attention to the necessary things that needs to be put in place to bring proper environmental awareness and curbing environmental pollutions. Another challenge I have encountered is getting sponsors and support, as an environmental activist who wants to bring environmental awareness to the good people of Nigeria about the dangers of environmental pollutions, I have some projects that I have set out that will help me expand my reach, and these projects involves finance which I cannot carry out alone.”
As expected, she owned up to being tempted to quit her campaign as a result of discouragement.
“Yes I have been tempted to quit and move on with other things. Nigerians believe the government is supposed to do everything for them, so trying to tell people, especially in the rural areas that there are things they can do for themselves without the government, like not polluting the environment and keeping it free from hazards is such a huge task. I have been called “jobless” so many times, that I almost gave up this project, but I remembered the people that have lost their houses, life’s and properties due to environmental pollutions and the people that will still lose more; the illnesses pollutions can cause in the future. Using Port Harcourt black soot as a case study, people are breathing black air, which is cancerous. I had to push myself back up and continue with the project, despite the challenges. Sometimes, I won’t have the finance to carry out things I have mapped out from the project, but again, I remember the better and healthier life we can all enjoy from a healthier environment. All these reasons give me the strength to keep on going with the project.”
Speaking further, highlighting her visions for the campaign, she noted; “My vision is to totally put a stop to environmental pollutions through creating environmental awareness and sensitizing people on the risks of living in polluted environments. My vision is also to have huge trash cans on every street and major junctions across all states in Nigeria to enable people properly dispose their waste when they are outside. My vision is to have the government employ active environmental officers across all states in Nigeria, they will be in charge of the environmental affairs in the country just the way there are officers in charge of security, they will monitor street trashing and illegal dump sites, they will monitor things that can be harmful to the environment and take it out, e.g. when there’s an unknown dead body on the road like(mad people) etc, you will notice that it takes days and even weeks for that body to be removed, it decomposes and spreads bacteria all around, this environmental officers will look out for such occurrence and immediately take control of the situation before bacteria are spread, they will look out for blocked drainages and clear up to avoid flooding, they will look out for people doing any illegal business or thing, burning/cooking substances that will be harmful to the environment, they will look out for pot holes and spoilt vehicles that could cause accidents. There will be an official environmental number to call when residents notices anything that can be harmful to the environment.
Concluding, she noted that the campaign would definitely be extended to other parts of Nigeria in the nearest future.
“Yes, this project is envisioned for every State in Nigeria. This project will work perfectly for every state in Nigeria. The environmental number will be one particularly number like the US emergency number, 911. The policy and procedure will be the same for every state. The sensitization program is designed to be for all states in Nigeria.”
