By Ebaide Omiunu, Executive Director, The Ebaidebheke Initiative (TEI)

ABUJA — The Managing Director of Steron Group, Mr Abubakar Sadiq Omar, mni, has been commended for demonstrating an uncommon commitment to environmental sustainability and community development through his personal involvement in tree planting and responsible waste management.

The commendation was contained in a tribute by the Executive Director of The Ebaidebheke Initiative (TEI), Ebaide Omiunu, following the organisation’s participation in the Befriend a Tree initiative of the Steron Community Development Foundation in the Wasa and Takushara communities.

Omiunu recalled how TEI was invited by the Steron Community Development Foundation to participate in the tree-planting exercise, describing the invitation as an opportunity to work together in promoting environmental sustainability at the community level.

According to her, she had previously heard of Omar’s commitment to environmental responsibility at his mining operations, particularly his insistence that waste generated at the site should be properly separated for recycling.

She said the commitment was significant because it demonstrated that environmental responsibility was being pursued beyond regulatory requirements or public visibility.

The TEI Executive Director said the Befriend a Tree exercise subsequently became one of the organisation’s most fulfilling community engagements, with the Steron Community Development Foundation providing 100 seedlings for planting across Wasa and Takushara.

She noted that what particularly stood out was Omar’s decision to participate personally in the exercise rather than merely support it financially.

According to Omiunu, Omar personally planted 20 of the 100 trees during the exercise.

She recalled watching the Steron Group MD kneel in the soil while planting one of the seedlings and reflecting on his message that trees should be planted not merely for the benefit of those who plant them, but for people who may never be known to them.

Omiunu described the philosophy as a powerful definition of legacy, stressing that lasting impact is not always measured by buildings, titles or material possessions, but by what continues to benefit communities long after the individuals responsible have moved on.

She said Omar’s personal participation demonstrated a leadership philosophy rooted in action and responsibility.

“A man who separates his waste when no one is checking. A man who kneels in the dirt of host communities instead of merely funding others to kneel there on his behalf,” she said, describing the values she observed during the exercise.

Omiunu further commended the Steron Community Development Foundation for what she described as a commitment to environmental action beyond publicity.

She said her experience with several partners over the years had taught her to distinguish between organisations that undertake environmental projects primarily for publicity and those genuinely committed to creating lasting impact.

According to her, the Steron Community Development Foundation, under Omar’s leadership, belongs to the latter category.

She said the 100 trees planted in Wasa and Takushara represented more than an environmental exercise, describing them as a contribution to the future of the communities.

“Nigeria plants very few things meant to outlive the planter. Abubakar Sadiq Omar, mni, planted twenty that will,” Omiunu stated.

She added that the initiative reinforced the idea that sustainable development involves not only extracting resources from the earth but also taking deliberate steps to restore and protect the environment.

“The truest wealth a nation can leave behind is not always pulled out of the ground — sometimes it’s put back into it,” she said.

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