The event was in collaboration with the Think Cross River Initiative, the Department of Climate Change and Green Economy (Calabar Municipal Government), Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA).
By Our Reporter
De New Calabar Leo Club, the youth affiliate of the New Calabar Lions Club, has marked the 2025 World Earth Day in Calabar Municipal, the capital of Cross River State. Tagged “Calabar Zero Plastic Plogging”, the event involved jogging and the collection of plastic waste across key locations.
The exercise commenced from the Calabar Municipal Council Headquarters, proceeding through strategic city routes to Marian Market, with participants actively collecting and properly disposing of plastic litter. The campaign exemplified the synergy between environmental action and civic engagement, advancing the objectives of Earth Day 2025 under the global theme: “Our Power, Our Planet.”
The event was in collaboration with the Think Cross River Initiative, the Department of Climate Change and Green Economy (Calabar Municipal Government), Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA).
Others are Plogging Nigeria UNICAL, YASIF Nigeria, YALI Cross River, NYSC SDGs-CDS Calabar Municipal, University of Calabar Youth Friendly Hub, Sir Cornel Chisom Ventures, Global Ecomentors initiative, AIESEC in Calabar, Department of Environmental Education Student Association UNICAL, ClimXus, Green Future Alliance for Sustainable Development and Leo Clubs of Prestigious Tinapa and Calabar Crystal under Region 4, Calabar.
Mr Edem Darlington, deputy chief press secretary to the governor, Sen Bassey Edet Otu and initiator of the Think Cross River Initiative, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to ecological preservation and sustainable development.
He emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing the mounting challenge of plastic pollution and encouraged the replication of such community-driven models across the state.
On behalf of the Mayor of Calabar Municipality, Apostle James Anam, Miss Racheal Bassey of the Department of Climate Change and Green Economy said, “The Calabar Zero Plastic Plogging initiative serves as a timely reminder of our collective responsibility to preserve our environment for future generations. The Mayor of Calabar Municipality leads by example, actively joining the environmental activity—a sustainable step with strategic impact for a cleaner earth, demonstrating their dedication to restoring and preserving the city’s natural environment.
Earlier, in his address, Leo Bright Ebuka Nwokeocha, President of De New Calabar Leo Club, noted that the event not only yielded significant amounts of recovered plastic waste but also instilled a deeper sense of environmental awareness, civic responsibility, and the importance of fitness-driven advocacy.
The eco-conscious activity directly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), goal 13 (Climate Action) and goal 14 (Life Below Water).
World Earth Day is marked on April 22, yearly.
