Publisher of Political Economy and immediate past Vice President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Mr. Ken Ugbechie, has warned that Nigeria's rising e-waste disposal culture could accelerate the nation's electronic waste burden.
He therefore urged the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to significantly increase its budget for public enlightenment and media outreach.
Speaking at the 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue organised by ITREALMS Media group, themed: 'Nigeria: Recycle Your E-Waste It's Critical' Ugbechie described e-waste as a "crucial national emergency," stressing that Nigerians must be made to understand the economic value hidden in discarded electronic devices.
"The global value of e-waste is about $58 billion. Every piece of e-waste is cash. This thing you are throwing away, this thing you see as refuse, has value. And when you put value to something, you don't trash it," he said.
Ugbechie criticised Nigeria's deepening "show-off" and disposable consumption habits, pointing out that many consumers replace devices not out of necessity but to appear trendy.
"We are stupendously extravagant as a people. You buy a phone today, two months later you throw it away to buy another just to show you are in town. Manufacturers exploit this behaviour and know exactly where to dump inferior products," he noted.
