Oladipupo Awojobi 
Scholars, educationists and experts have called for environmental sustainability and learner competences toward a green transition as a way of improving learning.
The call was made at the Ogun State Sustainability Education Program (OGSEP), which held on Friday at the Tai Solarin Univesity of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State.
In his contribution, a guest speaker at the event, Banji Odeyemi, a learning consultant and a PH.d researcher at Vrije Universiteit, Bruseel (VUB), said that OGSEP is strategically positioned to foster environmental sustainability and promote learner competences as a powerful driver toward a green transition.
“Sustainability education involves building the knowledge, skills attitudes, and values necessary to address the major issues threatening people and planet.
“The project aligns with Nigeria’s national policy agenda on SDGs. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of strategic partnerships and collaborations,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Olagunju Idowu Lateef, stated that partnerships will help educators to perform the task better, saying that partnerships make it easier for teachers to teach important topics like sustainability and help students succeed in a fast-changing world.
“Strong partnerships bring together skills, expertise, funding, ideas, tools and support.
“UNICEF partners with governments to provide teacher training, safe learning environments, and child rights education. This involves learning how partnerships can improve school safety, inclusion, and learning quality.
“A network of partner organisations that train and support teachers in under-resourced communities. Educators learn how NGOs and educators can work together to improve learning outcomes,” he said.
Dr Lateef added that a sustainable future is one where human development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, saying that it requires balancing environmental health, economic viability, and social equity (Plant, People, Prosperity).
In his submission, Ademola Ogunbanjo, President & CEO Oando Clean Energy Limited, said that a sustainable future is one where human development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It requires balancing environmental health, economic viability, and social equity (Plant, People, Prosperity).
Ogunbanjo stated that a sustainable future means the realization of various aspects of the SDGs.
“These technologies will transform how work is done; from optimizing energy use and predicting climate risks to enabling smart cities and automating sustainable supply chains.
“New jobs will emerge and workers will need data literacy, AI ethics, and digital systems design to stay relevant in a tech-enabled green economy.
“Future workplaces will embrace sustainability not only in what they produce but also how they operate and consume resources internally. A new circular economy mindset will shape organizational values and business models.
“Behind all these exciting technology and innovation is a massive need and demand for energy. Clean energy will be the very infrastructure of future work. Offices, factories, and digital workspaces will increasingly run on solar, wind, bioenergy, and battery storage enabling lower operating costs and reduced emissions,” he said.
He added that as sustainability becomes embedded into business models, leaders will need to make complex decisions that balance profit, people, and the planet with transparency, accountability, and long-term thinking.
According to him, a values-driven culture will emerge emphasizing sustainability reporting, equity in decision-making, and stakeholder engagement, not just shareholder value.
“As green technologies evolve, workers must continuously adapt. Lifelong learning becomes the norm, not an option. Success in the future workplace depends on adaptability, interdisciplinary knowledge, and sustainability fluency,” he said.
Ogunbanjo stressed that the Nigerian society is set on a path of continued reliance on fossil fuels and unreliable energy systems locking the economy into an unsustainable path despite abundant renewable potential.
“As of 2020, more than six Nigerians out of 10 never heard about climate change. Only 30% of respondents declared to have heard about this topic. Awareness of the topic is higher in urban Nigeria than in rural areas. Technical skills for green technologies are lacking and individua shifts to a sustainable lifestyle is low,” he said.
On current challenges, he said that there is resistance or reluctance to accept new habits, saying that “we see this widely around us with people reluctant to separate waste and some rural communities hesitant to adopt clean cookstoves.”
He also said that “our current trajectory is not sustainable. Change is pertinent to ensure sustenance of the ecosystem.
“To live in a world habitable for the current and future generations, change is necessary. People who contribute the least to climate change are the most vulnerable to its effects. Small scale farmers suffer significant crop losses from droughts/floods.”
He stressed that academia is crucial because it is the cradle of innovation, and that existing curriculum should be adapted to integrate sustainable development goals.
“Starting from early childhood education to tertiary education, curricula should be made with sustainable development in mind.
“Academia has a role to play in convening dialogues amongst stakeholders (government, lawmakers, think-tanks) educating them on the problems and proffering well thought out solutions to these challenges.
“Leading research and development efforts aimed at solving and preventing problems by leveraging on existing resources is another role academia can play. Innovative and affordable clean technology tailored to our challenges should be developed. Students should be encouraged and inspired to tackle challenging problems while in school and integrated into core research teams. Universities can also lead being early adopters of green technologies,” he said.
He said that today, more than 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, adding that the discussion on sustainable development is even more critical to youths as they stand to bear most of the brunt of the current inefficient linear economy model. Youths have a call to innovate and pursue active roles in policy development.
“In addition to creating businesses, youths need to hold active parts in important conversations being held. Social activities like cleanup activities, volunteering in non- profits, etc. Holding active membership and leadership role in political parties and government roles helping shape development of sustainable policies is key,” he said.
Prof. Olalekan Elijah Ojedokun from the Institute of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) said that transformative society prioritises and implements significant, positive changes to address various social, economic, environmental, or cultural challenges, create a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient society, focuses on sustainability, social justice, economic transformation, and cultural evolution.
“It involves collaboration among governments, organizations, and individuals to drive meaningful change and create a better future,” he stated
Ojedokun stressed that teacher education are “policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, the behaviour and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community.”
He noted that sustainability revolves around the no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well – being, quality education and gender equality.
Others, he said are clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities amongst others.
He explained that teacher education as a formal activity include pre-service, saying that teachers learn teaching methods courses and embark on a supervised practical teaching (teaching practice) of 12 weeks or one semester as stipulated in the benchmark of minimum standards for the universities and the colleges of education respectively.
According to him, teacher education programmes should prepare teachers about environmental sustainability by exposing their student-teachers to the learning contents of concepts such as natural resources, food and farming, ecological systems, waste, water, energy and energy management, biodiversity and climate change.
“A teacher education programmes should prepare teachers about economic sustainability by exposing their student-teachers to the learning contents of concepts such as alternative futures, leadership and change, corporate social responsibility, consumerism and trade, globalization of economy, accountability and ethics, international development, sustainable and ethical tourism and population.
Subjects, such as Social Studies, Economics, Political Science, General Studies, Fine and Applied Arts and any area of study that is interdisciplinary could teach all these concepts at the teacher training lecture rooms,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Oluwole Sikiru Banjo said that as Nigeria’s premier institution dedicated to teacher education, and lifelong learning, TASUED remains committed to fostering educational excellence that responds to the pressing global challenges of this time.
Banjo said that the gathering “exemplifies our unwavering dedication to advancing education for sustainable development (ESD)- a core pillar in our national and global pursuit of a resilient, inclusive and sustainable future.”
“The workshop is a testament to our collective resolve to equip our educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become catalysts for societal transformation.
“By integrating sustainability principles into teaching practices, we are nurturing a new generation of responsible citizens and change agents capable of addressing climate change, bidoversity loss, resource depletion, and other interconnected global issues,” he said.
Other scholars such as Professor Marco Rieckmann from Germany, Professor Gregor Torkar from Slovenia and Dr Moma Enang from UNESCO, Abuja and others also spoke to the gathering through zoom.
