Award-winning energy regulatory and environmental lawyer and climate policy expert Summer Okibe has warned that Nigeria is increasingly becoming a dumping ground for global textile waste, drawing attention to the growing environmental and social cost of fast fashion and its consequences for Nigerian communities.
Okibe made the remarks during a live appearance on TVC’s Wake Up Nigeria, where she spoke candidly about how fast fashion and everyday consumption habits are quietly worsening environmental conditions in Nigeria, consequences she says often go unnoticed.
Okibe drew attention to the lifecycle of clothing waste, explaining that many people discard outfits after short use without understanding where those clothes end up or the impact they have once they leave their homes.
“We buy fast fashion, we get tired of the clothes, and we toss them in the bin,” she said. “But we don’t know what happens when they enter the waste system. These clothes end up clogging parts of our environment and contributing to flooding.”
She noted that discarded clothing often accumulates in drainage channels and open spaces, worsening environmental strain in communities already vulnerable to flooding and weak waste infrastructure.
Awareness and individual responsibility
Okibe said the lack of public awareness reflects a broader problem in how environmental harm is perceived, often treated as distant or abstract rather than something shaped by daily choices. She shared that she has begun using her platform to speak more openly about what she described as “the uncomfortable things” people tend to avoid discussing.
“As individuals, there are still small things we can do,” she said. “If we keep waiting for the government to do everything, we are not going to get anywhere. We have to take charge of our environment because we are the ones who will be affected first.”
She also emphasised that environmental damage does not end in the present, warning that current habits carry long-term consequences for future generations, a connection she said is critical if Nigeria is to meaningfully address climate and environmental challenges.
Nigeria as a destination for global textile exports
Okibe highlighted the international dimension of the problem, pointing out that many developed countries export used clothing to African nations under the assumption that affordability equals benefit.
“When items are shipped from countries like Canada or the US and sold as fairly used, people think they are doing themselves a favour,” she said. “But we are not thinking about the effect these clothes have on our environment. These countries send waste here because they know we lack the resources and the voice to push back.”
Policy implementation and accountability
Okibe called for Nigerians to take a more active role in environmental conversations, stressing that policy discussions without action are not enough.
“We need to be part of this conversation in Nigeria because, at the end of the day, we are the ones suffering,” she said. “We talk a lot about policies, but how many of them are actually being implemented?”
Her remarks underscore a growing call for greater accountability, not only from governments, but also from individuals, private actors, and global systems that profit from unsustainable consumption patterns.
