Speaking at the 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue organised by ITREALMS Media group, with the theme “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.

Ken 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.

He warned that this behavioural pattern not only encourages reckless disposal but also incentivises the importation of substandard electronics into the Nigerian market.

Ugbechie further highlighted the severe health dangers associated with unmanaged e-waste, noting that toxic substances such as mercury and lead seep into the soil and water systems.

“E-waste is carcinogenic. When these substances wash into our environment, they enter our lungs and skin. That is why cancer and related diseases are rising, especially among the younger population,” he said.

He called on government agencies to professionalise e-waste handling and ensure harmful materials do not continue to contaminate the environment.

While acknowledging NESREA’s regulatory mandate, Ugbechie insisted that the agency must expand its public awareness efforts and create a structured ecosystem of collectors and recyclers.

“NESREA has to create different layers of people who can pick up e-waste. But most importantly, there must be continuous enlightenment. The behavioural pattern of the people is what drives this crisis,” he said.

Ugbechie ended with a call: “NESREA needs to increase its budget for media and publicity. Without massive enlightenment, this crisis will continue.”

The 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue continued to spotlight the urgent need for coordinated national action, stronger regulation, and sustained environmental education to curb Nigeria’s fast-worsening e-waste problem.

This year’s dialogue was supported by the ALTON, NCC, IXPN, NLNG, NESREA and EPRON while students from several schools were in attendance including ReapVille Schools, St Joachim College, Upland College and Stigal Int’l Schools among other stakeholders.

Speaking at the 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue in Lagos, Weyinmi highlighted the importance of corporate responsibility in e-waste management.

“As part of consumers and the public, NLNG, like many Multinationals, currently practices green procurement, responsible disposal, and transparent reporting of our e-waste management practices,” Weyinmi stated.

He urged other sectors to adopt similar practices, emphasizing that “this drive should be taken to other sectors to raise the percentage of businesses that responsibly recycle their e-waste.”

Weyinmi also stressed the importance of multinationals supporting brands and policies that prioritize circularity and environmental responsibility.

 “Multinationals should support brands and policies that prioritize circularity and environmental responsibility,” he said.

Furthermore, he called on government and policymakers to enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and provide incentives for investing in advanced recycling technologies.

 “Government and policymakers should pay more attention to the enforcement of EPR and provide incentives for people to invest in advanced recycling technologies where critical raw materials (CRM) can be recovered in-country,” he emphasized.

The 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, themed “Nigeria: Recycle your e-waste – it’s critical!”, brought together key stakeholders from environmental, telecommunications, and energy sectors. The event was moderated by Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, Group Executive Editor of ITREALMS Media Group.

Other panelists included Mr. Uchechukwu Ugwuanyi, assistant general manager at Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), who represented the Managing Director, Mr. Muhammed Rudman; Publisher of Political Economy, Mr. Ken Ugbechie; and Azeezat Alabere, executive assistant at E-Waste Producer Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria (EPRON); while Olaide Oyedele-Taiwo, Chief Scientific Officer at NESREA Lagos Liaison Office, represented the Director-General/CEO of NESREA.

The panel highlighted Nigeria’s significant e-waste challenge, with an estimated 1.2 million tonnes generated annually, posing environmental and health risks.

They emphasized the need for a unified national strategy, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and efficient systems to recover critical raw materials from discarded electronics.

The dialogue underscored the importance of collective action in addressing Nigeria’s e-waste challenge and promoting sustainable practices.

The drive, organized as part of the annual ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue 2025, is scheduled for Thursday, November 20, 2025, and is timed to commemorate the International E-Waste Day (IEWD).

The collection scheme will run concurrently with the 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue at the Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos. The event is anchored on the theme: “Nigeria: Recycle your e-waste – it’s critical!”

The collaboration ensures that small, end-of-life electronic devices are gathered and transferred to certified professionals for proper disposition, diverting them from landfills where they pose severe environmental risks.

Specific items targeted for collection include mobile phones, chargers, earpieces, pointers, and rechargeable torches.

Disclosing the collaboration, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, the group executive editor, ITREALMS Media, and Convener of the 2025 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, urged the public to participate actively.

“We beckon to Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage this opportunity to dispose of mobile devices they no longer use, often in exchange for a voucher or gift item. This initiative has become time-serving because e-waste awareness has to be continuous; ITREALMS came up with this scheme to ensure people don’t miss the chance for proper disposition before the year ends,” Nweke said.

The theme of the technical session, he said, is “Stakeholders Role: Recycle your e-waste – it’s critical!” will be dissected by experts and key participants from industry organizations including the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Nigeria LNG, and various regulatory agencies.

The Dialogue is set to commence at 9:00 AM and run till the close of work hours on Thursday, November 20.

The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.

ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.

Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.

Also, he said, the collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15.

In addition, he said that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.

Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.

Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”

Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.

In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.

Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.

Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).

Even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.

This is coming as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) and E-Waste Producer Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria (EPRON) are warming up among other members of stakeholders for the dialogue on December 15, 2023 with theme: You Can recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable.

The editor-in-chief, ITREALMS Media group, Remmy Nweke, Esq, disclosed these in Lagos at the weekend, stressing the importance of continuously creating awareness on the electronic waste as the nation deploys Fifth Generation (5G) networks, which has potential for influx of electronic devices and usage in Nigeria, than ever before.

Also, Nweke pointed out that the Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) pass off from the likes of mobile phones, computers, TV-sets, and fridges among other electronic devices have become a set of fastest growing waste streams across the globe.

Nigeria, he noted, is particularly burdened by the WEEE with estimated 1.1 million tonnes of e-waste annually arising from both local and imported Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) under the guise of second hand or fairly used.

Experts, Nweke said, have been selected to give insights on e-Waste in Nigeria with regards to how individual digital citizens could contribute to the recycling of anything with a plug, battery or cable.

“ITREALMS Media in commemoration of the annual International E-waste Day (IeWD) 2023, is hosting a day discourse on ‘You Can recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable’ under its flagship ITREALMS e-Waste Dialogue scheduled for Friday, December 15, at the Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Ikeja, Lagos,” he said.

He recalled that the 2023 edition is the fourth in the series of ITREALMS e-Waste Dialogue and urged stakeholders and enthusiasts to join experts and learn more on best approach to recycling even the smallest of device tools and often neglected like discharging of mobile phone batteries and cables.

This is coming as part of the commemoration of 2022 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) with the theme “e-Waste: Recycling it all! No matter how small” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.

Disclosing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2022 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Mr. Remmy Nweke, encouraged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.

He said, the collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, Ecofeld Nigeria Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Thursday, December 8.

The exercise, he also said, would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.

Nweke revealed that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.

He further said that this initiative has become expedient because some people may have missed the earlier opportunity in October and since this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, ITREALMS came up with this scheme.

Nweke enjoined Nigerians especially mobile phone users to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.

Reacting to the collaboration, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, EPRON Executive Secretary, described the initiative as a great idea, capable of deepening the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.

She also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this opportunity being made available by ITREALMS Media.

Faluyi recalled that last October, EPRON partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the 2022 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for Thursday, December 8, in Lagos.