Education
YLSEP graduates 2026 ocean, environmental sustainability cohort – EnviroNews
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Eko EnviroTalk has graduated the second cohort of its Young Leaders for Sustainable Environment Programme (YLSEP).
The organisation charged the 28 participants to apply lessons from the programme to promote environmental sustainability in their communities.
The 2026 cohort, which ran from between Aug. 17 and Aug. 22, comprised participants aged between 13 and 28.
YLSEP is an immersive environmental education and leadership programme designed to equip young people with knowledge, tools and skills to champion environmental sustainability.
The programme, with the theme, “Ocean Heroes, Guardians of the Blue,” focused on ocean protection, environmental sustainability and practical solutions to environmental challenges.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Programme Manager, Eko EnviroTalk, Miss ’Wande Seriki, urged the participants to use the knowledge gained to protect the environment and improve livelihoods.
Seriki also encouraged them to leverage the networks established during the programme to create opportunities and sustain environmental initiatives.
She urged the participants to become “Ocean Heroes” committed to protecting the ocean, environment and future generations.
“During an interactive session, participants shared lessons from the programme and discussed practical actions to address environmental challenges in their schools and communities.
“Some participants presented project ideas focusing on plastic waste management, recycling and proper waste disposal,” Seriki said.
She added that the participants underwent theoretical and practical training and interacted with environmental experts.
She said they also developed solutions to environmental challenges and participated in a tree-planting exercise designed to promote practical environmental action.
According to her, the programme is designed to move participants beyond learning to taking practical action on environmental sustainability.
Also speaking, the Director, International Ocean Institute Nigeria Centre, Mr. Williams Akanbi, urged the participants to become environmental advocates.
“Look into the ocean and see what you can do to protect the water, animals and anything going into the ocean,” he said.
Akanbi urged them to promote environmental awareness and positive behavioural changes in their schools and communities.
Similarly, the Assistant Manager, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability, Gracefield Island, Miss Oreoluwa Babajide, said environmental sustainability should begin with individuals.
Babajide, who represented the Managing Director of the organisation, said development and environmental responsibility must go hand in hand.
She urged the participants to apply lessons from the programme in their homes, schools and communities.
Earlier, Idowu Aderinto of the Gracefield Island team, in a presentation, said the development currently covered about 100 hectares.
He said the development incorporated residential, commercial, mixed-use and public spaces, with more than 7,000 trees planted to provide shade and encourage walking and cycling.
Aderinto said the island also had pedestrian walkways, cycling lanes, drainage systems, shoreline protection and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
He said the development provided for waste separation and recycling at source, with plans for a central waste collection point.
According to him, the island will rely mainly on gas for power, supported by the national grid and generators as backup.
He said an environmental impact assessment was conducted before the project began in 2015, adding that the master plan was being strictly followed.
Aderinto said the development was designed to promote walkability, accessibility and responsible environmental practices among residents, contractors and visitors.
On security, he said the island had an evacuation plan and proactive security architecture designed to detect and assess threats before responding.
He added that the two-kilometre access route from the main gate also provided a buffer for monitoring potential threats.
The closing ceremony featured an interactive session, presentation of certificates, sustainability tour and tree-planting exercise at Gracefield Island, a proposed 200-hectare mixed-use development in Lagos.
As part of the programme, participants on Aug. 19 embarked on a boat tour of the Lagos Lagoon to apply knowledge gained during the virtual learning sessions.
They thereafter visited the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, where they interacted with experts and learnt about marine sciences.
By Fabian Ekeruche
