OSSAI, Reuben Mustapha

(MEng; CEnv; IWM; CWMgr)

• National President: Waste Management

Society of Nigeria (WAMASON)
• Managing Director: THE INITIATES LTD.,
Port Harcourt

www.wamason.org www.initiatesgroup.com
+234 (0)84 785583 +234 (0)84 230578
enquiry@wamason.org rmossai@initiatesgroup.com
• Mr. Ossai is a Registered Architect, an Env.
Engineer, Chartered Environmentalist and
Waste Manager with over 15 years experience.
He is a member of the Chartered Institution of
Waste Management UK, and Nigerian Institute
of Architects.
• He is widely exposed in waste management and
has worked on waste strategy development,
auditing, design and construction of various
wastewater treatment facilities, and has
severally participated in international
conferences and workshops.
• Mr. Ossai is the first African to be certified as an
International Waste Manager by ISWA and, he
currently serves as a member of ISWA Landfill
Technical Working Group.
PROFESSIONALISM
IN
WASTE
MANAGEMENT
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

• Introduction
• What is waste mgt?
• Who is a professional?
• Professionalism in Waste mgt
• Global Certification of Waste mgt
professional
• WAMASON position
 INTRODUCTION
• Waste is a measure of man’s imperfection, and
so existed with man (as a proof, archaeologists
have used it to discover ancient human
settlements and scientists have used it to
identify planets with life).
• When waste’s presence in man’s environment
became a challenge in the early 12th century in
France, Philip II of Paris initiated the first civil
waste mgt action (though not successful)
• This challenge caused a devastating epidemic in
Europe at about the mid of 14th century resulting
in, the promulgation of Paris’s Ordinance of
1338, UK Urban Sanitary Act of 1888, the Rivers
and Harbours Act of 1899 in the USA, and
much later in Nigeria, the Public Health Act of
1958.
• The oil boom of the 1970s ushered in high
urbanisation rate and complex lifestyle: Lagos,
Ibadan and Kano were hard hit. Also the 1972
Stockholm's Conference that was attended by
Nigeria, accelerated the environmental
awareness in the country.
• In 1973, Lagos in addition to K-L-C campaign,
decided to venture into waste mgt. infrastructural
development (building of 3 incinerators).
• Early 80s witnessed major development in waste
mgt occasioned by filthiness of our urban
landscape (establishment of State Sanitation
Authorities).
• A remarkable turning point in Nigerian waste
mgt history is 1988 (Koko saga).
 WHAT IS WASTE MGT?
• Waste management became a challenge
with the shrinking space in our urban
settlements and also as a result of the
exhaustion of the general earth carrying
capacity
• The challenge dynamically took increasing
dimensions with resulting complexity.
• Today, Waste mgt is of four dimensions all
targeted at the entire material flow cycle
• Public health (the primordial objective
that gained prominence in the early 19th
century due to technological growth)
• Environmental protection (a result of
environmental awareness of 1970’s occasioned
by the first ecological movement and the oil
crises)
• Natural resources conservation, (a result of
mass production and consumption that laid a
foundation for process de-materialization,
material reuse and recycling)
• Energy supply (technological society has made
Energy a measure of standard of living)
• Waste management is whatever is done with a
view to reducing, treating and disposing of the
residues of material flow cycle for the protection
of public health and environment, recourses
conservation and energy generation.
 WHO IS A PROFESSIONAL?
• Classical definition of profession as derived from the
Latin words “pro” and “fasteor” suggests declaration
of faithfulness or confidence.
• Therefore Professional takes charge of overwhelming
challenge with confidence and public trust in his ability.
• Hence, awareness alone is not enough but knowledge,
skill and mastery are required by a professional.
• Professionals are therefore characterized by the
competence (ability to perform a task) they possess and
their unique access to a complex body of knowledge
• Also, the professional demands high level of integrity (a
sense of moral, necessary to continuously maintain
position that will in all times safeguard society) to enable
them gain public confidence.
 3 Pillars of Professionalism
• Competence (knowledge base training,
apprenticeship, internship, CPD and networking)
• Standard (knowledge, carrying out of operation,
certification and licensing, discipline etc)
• Ethics (Internal codes or Ethics are part of the
self-definition and regulation of the profession;
Code of Conduct reflect the profession’s
standards which create public expectations and
trust). Duties created by these codes serve as
yardsticks for measuring professional
negligence.
 PROFESSIONALISM IN WASTE MGT
• The absence of professionalism in waste mgt is
unimaginable especially as waste has existed with
man.
• Waste mgt wasn’t one of mankind’s earliest
challenges; but, is waste mgt a challenge to
mankind today? Yes - then professionalism is
required in the sector.
• A new profession predicated on the four objectives
of waste mgt is clearly multi-disciplinary and
complex.
• Professionalism in waste mgt. involves a system of
operations, ranging from planning, financing,
administration, commercial, technical operations to
monitoring.
• This requires good knowledge of social science,
waste science, economics and engineering (this
body of knowledge has been consolidated to
provide good platform for training)
• Training will not only build the profession, but
internalise it globally with greater rapidity than
technology import.
• Profession should also be able to remunerate the
practitioner, without excessively pressuring the
service benefactor (this means that waste mgt
services must be paid for)
• Professionalism will enable waste mgt to be
socially acceptable, economically affordable and
environmentally friendly.
 GLOBAL CERTIFICATION OF WASTE MGT
PROFESSIONAL
• Certification is a means of standardization and measure of
technical competence.
• It (licensing) can be either statutory or non-statutory
• Certification accords professional recognition and/or permit to
practice having been assessed by an independent experts as
being competent.
• It shows commitment of oneself to always work in accordance
with professional Codes of Conduct and Ethics.
• It shows commitment to continuously develop personal skills and
knowledge in a particular field.
• Internationally, only one certification is available in Waste mgt
and, this is done by ISWA
• At national levels, various countries have their method and in
Nigeria: this responsibility is not properly defined however it has
been recently transferred from FME to NESREA
• In the UK, it is done by CIWM and WAMITAB ( Waste Mgt
Industry Training & Advisory Board)
 WAMASON position
• WAMASON is a professional Association with
Councils in 16States of the Federation
• Membership cuts across both public and private
sectors of the industry
• WAMASON is affiliated to ISWA as National
Member
• WAMASON is:
• building capacity in the sector (local & int’l training)
• re-alignment of local practice with int’l standards ( collaborating
with all Statutory Organisations in development of guidelines
and regulations)
• involved in the development of the industry (local& int’l
business forum)
It is a mere dream, for Nigeria to desire
sustainable waste management without
professionalism

‘DO NOT COUNT YOURSELF OUT BY

THE WAY YOU DO IT; BE A
PROFESSIONAL’