Fouad Oki Leads Bold Plan to Plant 1 Million Trees, Reclaim Lagos’ Environmental Heritage
In a bold move to promote a healthier, greener, and cleaner Lagos, a non-governmental organization, EKO Occupational Safety, Health and Environment, has launched an aggressive campaign and advocacy initiative to plant one million trees across the state over the next ten years.
As part of its mission, the group is also calling on residents to take active roles in safeguarding their environment—especially by discouraging open defecation and other violations of environmental laws.
The Executive Programme Director, Ogboni Fouad Oki, disclosed this during a virtual meeting with media executives, where he unveiled the statewide campaign and advocacy plan.
According to him, the group is determined to restore Lagos to its former glory—marked by greener, more serene, and aesthetically pleasing surroundings. He affirmed the NGO’s commitment to confronting environmental challenges head-on.
“Our target is to plant at least 100,000 trees annually,” Oki said. “We are also on course to plant 10,000 trees before July 15, in commemoration of World Environment Day.”
He described the environmental crisis as a “matter of survival and existence” for all Lagos residents, warning that the current challenges stem from years of environmental neglect and abuse.
To reverse the trend, the group is advocating for:
• Voluntary and consistent tree planting by residents,
• Integration of environmental education into school curricula,
• Early sensitization of children (from age 5) on the importance of protecting the environment,
• And a revival of the eco-conscious culture of Lagos in the 1940s–1970s, especially in neighborhoods like Surulere.
Oki revealed that in the past nine months, the group—with expert support—has already begun tree-planting exercises in areas such as Ikorodu Road (inward Ojota), Third Mainland Bridge to the International Airport, Fadeyi to Victoria Island and Lekki, and from the National Arts Theatre to Badagry.
He noted that over 15,000 different tree species have been supplied by IITA Ibadan, while the campaign enjoys strategic support from the Lagos Conservation Society and Yabatech School of Agriculture.
While expressing concern over what he described as environmental neglect in the construction of the Odo Iya Alaro-Opebi link bridge by the Lagos State Government, Oki assured the public that the group does not anticipate any conflict with the state authorities in executing the project.
