As National Orientation Agency Shines Light on Green Revolutionists

As part of its push for civic responsibility and environmental consciousness, the National Orientation Agency celebrates four eco-activists to catalyse a national conversation around sustainability, writes Julius Adegoke

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In a country where environmental degradation and climate change are often viewed as distant problems, a new generation of Nigerian change makers is proving that sustainability can be local, practical and even stylish.

These individuals are not only reimagining waste as a resource but transforming it into symbols of ingenuity, identity, and community power. In a compelling video series now trending on the National Orientation Agency’s (NOA) official Instagram page, the agency seeks to invite greater public attention to the quartet of Jumoke Olowokere, Ifedolapo Runsewe, Mary Abosede Ibilolu, and Franuel Oboro, each a beacon of what it means to be an ecopreneur in a rapidly changing world.

Together, they represent a bold new wave of environmental stewardship that is rooted in local knowledge, powered by innovation, and aimed at a greener, more inclusive Nigeria.

Jumoke Olowokere’s art of upcycling manifests in her Waste Museum located in Ibadan. The facility features vibrant installations made entirely from plastic bottles, sachet bags, used tyres, and tin cans. She is fondly called “Olowo Waste”, a name reflective of her core belief that waste is not a waste until one wastes it.

Olowookere

Olowookere’s journey began in her kitchen while on maternity leave. She became acutely aware of the waste her household was generating. Instead of discarding it, she began to collect and catalogue everything from egg shells, snail shells, tin cans to cardboard boxes and other things in between. “It started as curiosity,” she recalls. “I didn’t know what to do with the waste, but I knew it didn’t belong in a dump,” she said. That spark led her to a 2011 summer camp where she taught children how to turn waste into art. Since then, through her Waste Museum and Waste is Wealth Academy, she has trained over one million young Nigerians on upcycling and sustainability.

Her mantra, the 5Rs and U: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Repair and Upcycle guides her mission to make waste a source of empowerment rather than pollution.

“Our goal isn’t just managing waste,” she said. “It’s to raise a generation that no longer produces it.”

Also in Ibadan, Ifedolapo Runsewe, an Economics graduate with a background in banking and telecommunications, is redefining what it means to tread lightly on the Earth. Her company, Freee Recycle, turns old vehicle tyres into fashion-forward, eco-friendly footwear and durable infrastructure products.

Runsewe

The idea was born when Runsewe drove past a landfill and was choked by fumes from burning tyres. She pivoted into waste management, researching, experimenting, and eventually launching Nigeria’s first tyre upcycling factory in 2020. “It wasn’t just about the environment; it was about opportunity,” she said.

Today, Freee Recycle employs over 160 people and has processed more than 250,000 tyres. Its flagship product, TyreLite, a biodegradable rubber composite, is a hit among eco-conscious consumers globally. From flip-flops to paving tiles, Runsewe’s creations are durable, ethical, and affordable. Her Green Queens Fellowship supports women entrepreneurs in circular manufacturing, while her extended producer responsibility (EPR) initiative ensures businesses dispose of old tyres sustainably.

“In waste, I saw worth,” she says. “And now, I see women rewriting their futures through it.” In Lagos, where fast fashion reigns, Mary Abosede Ibilolu is weaving a quiet rebellion. At her House of Mayrie atelier, sustainability is not just stitched into her designs, it is the very fabric of her brand.

Ibilolu

A graduate of Industrial Design from Yaba College of Technology, Mary began questioning the ethics of mass-produced fashion early in her career. “I didn’t want to just make clothes,” she says. “I wanted to tell stories. To preserve culture. And to honour the Earth.” Her breakthrough collection, Àjàlá Earth, made from secondhand textiles and natural dyes, debuted at Sustainable Fashion Week Paris to global acclaim. But her mission extends far beyond the runway.

Mary has launched Nigeria’s first mobile tailoring studio—the Eco-Stitch Lab—a solar-powered van that travels to rural communities, training women in zero-waste garment production. Her Surulere studio is a haven for young designers seeking to blend heritage with innovation.

She’s also breaking new ground with Digital Adire, an NFT project that preserves indigenous patterns in virtual form, making Yoruba textile art part of the global digital archive. “What we wear says who we are,” Mary says. “So why not wear our values?”

For Franuel Oboro, sustainability is personal. Born in the oil-polluted creeks of the Niger Delta, she has seen the cost of environmental negligence first-hand.

With a law degree from the University of Benin, Frances combines legal precision and artistic flair to create sustainable and stunning products through her company, Franuel Eco Furniture Limited.

Oboro

As the CEO and Creative Director of the Lagos-based firm that transforms eco-friendly materials into artistic furniture masterpieces, her core belief revolves around the principle of zero waste. Off-cuts from one design are reused in another. Packaging is compostable. Varnishes are handcrafted from local oils and beeswax. This approach minimises the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing.

Her furniture has benefits to both the environment and consumers. By using sustainable materials, eco-friendly furniture helps reduce national resources depletion. Her products come from coconut husk, bamboo, and sawdust, with some of them including a built-in air purifier using activated charcoal and lemongrass pods to reduce indoor toxins.

Now exporting to Berlin, Nairobi, and São Paulo, Oboro still begins each design with a walk through a local wood scrap yard or a conversation with craftsmen.

Indeed, in a world facing climate catastrophe, these ecopreneurs offer more than solutions; they offer hope.

And from tyres to textiles, from fashion to furniture, the hope of that green future is already taking shape.