The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Environmental Impact assessment (EIA)

  • ‘Stop sand filing lagoon, waterfronts’

    ‘Stop sand filing lagoon, waterfronts’

    Former Surveyor-General of the Federation Prof. Peter Nwilo has urged the Lagos State Government to stop construction and all sand filling works around Lagoon and waterfronts.

    Nwilo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.

    He was reacting to the massive flooding in the state, especially around Lekki, Victoria Island, Ajah, Ikoyi and Lagos Island, following  torrential rainfall on Saturday.

    According to him, this is the first time the Lagos Lagoon water level is rising.

    “’I do not think the water level of the Lagoon has risen like this before in the state.

    “Look around you, Lagos Lagoon and all waterfronts in the state are being sand-filled for development of estates.

    “This is being done without proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on consequences of such development on the environment.

    “The natural canal is being blocked all round the state and when this happens, the water stays with us and that is the flooding we are experiencing.

    “We will work on the other causes of the flooding later and that is when we can proffer sustainable solutions to what is happening now.

    “But for now, sand filing of Lagos Lagoon and waterfronts should stop,’’ Nwilo, also a lecturer at the Department of Surveying and Informatics, University of Lagos said.

    Also speaking, Prof. Sylvester Egwu, an environmentalist, also expressed concern about the happenings in Ajah, Lekki axis and its environs.

    “These areas have become tourist sites for flooding. Ajah area is horrible. VGC, Ikate and Jakande are in a mess. Everywhere is water logged.

    “We cannot even come out of our houses, that is those of us that water has not overtaken our entire houses.

    “Besides being climate change situation, all drainage systems in the area are blocked, majority of them by illegal structures.

    “The drainages are not flowing. All the refuse that are not evacuated and dumped anywhere and anyhow are now in the drainages.

    “We are only praying to God not to allow the ocean to swallow us up and become foods to our aquatic friends out there,’’ he said.

    Egwu called for the removal of all the illegal structures on drainage right-of-way and make the gutters flow by removing the refuse blocking the free flow of water.

    Mr Victor Imvebore, the Chairman of Nigerian Environmental Society, Lagos Island Chapter, said that what was happening at Lekki, Ajah, Victoria Island did not come as a surprise to environmentalists.

    “Environment lovers have raised alarm severally, warned government and private individuals, especially estate developers and contractors on the consequences of blocking and building on wetlands.

    “Those areas are to serve as buffer zones for excess water from the Ocean, Lagoon, seas and rivers.

    “Whenever non- governmental organisations on environment, foundations and activists demand for EIAs on major projects, they become enemies of government.

    “We have always known and warn that projects built indiscriminately in those areas prone to flooding are disasters waiting to happen.

    “Wetlands are pooling areas for water. We build on flood plain areas and complain when our houses are flooded,’’ he said.

    Imvebore said that Lagos state needed strategic environment plans on how to protect its wetlands and should not joke with EIA.

    “This is just tip of the iceberg,’’ he said.

  • U.S. based businessman to set up $2bn dollar modular refinery in Edo

    U.S. based businessman to set up $2bn dollar modular refinery in Edo

    U.S.-based businessman, Mr Charles Ihaza, says he has acquired about 453.9 hectares of land to establish a modular refinery in Eghudu, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo.

    Ihaza said this at an Open Forum organised on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed refinery in Benin.

    He said that the project would cost over two billion U.S. dollars, adding that the refinery would produce about 80,000 barrels of refined petroleum products daily.

    “I know what it takes to establish and manage a refinery, and we are already discussing with the relevant Federal Government agencies on the immediate commencement of the project.

    “I decided to site the refinery in Eghudu so as to help our people back home in Nigeria, and I am very passionate about this project.

    “As part of our social corporate responsibilities to the host community, we are going to construct roads, build satellite clinics, standard primary and secondary schools and a functional international market,’’ he said.

    Ihaza, therefore, solicited the cooperation of the members of the community, urging them to work with the site engineers and other workers toward the successful execution of the project.

    Earlier, Mr Larry Edosomwan, who presented the EIA Report on behalf of the consultants, Vokosen Ltd., said that the report had captured all the socio-economic needs of the host community.

    “We have looked at the positive social and economic needs of the community, the aquatic environment, drainage and sewage management and treatment of effluents.

    “Forests will not be destroyed and wherever it happens, we will plant new trees.

    “We have ensured that we met all the requirements of the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). We will mitigate all negative environmental impacts,’’ he said.

    Mr Joshua Taiwo, spokesman for the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jubril, said that he was particularly happy that the project was named after the community.

    Taiwo said that the refinery project would provide jobs for the people and improve the socio-economic lives of the residents of the area.

  • Ministry to review environmental laws to reflect global best practice

    Ministry to review environmental laws to reflect global best practice

    The Federal Ministry of Environment says it will review the country’s environmental laws to reflect global best practice.

    Mr John Alonge, the Director, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Federal Ministry of Environment, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    Alonge said the review would help ensure sustainability of the environment

    “We are looking at a situation whereby we’ll have quality guidelines that will reflect the emerging global issues.

    “So we are also trying to see how we are going to revise old guidelines and also develop new ones and at the end of the day see that the existing ones are revised in line with emerging global trends.

    “And not only that, we are looking at the quality assurance of the process, that is, the process of EIA must meet international standards.

    “So we are looking at the situation whereby there will be periodic system of review of our process, see where we are meeting up and where we are not meeting up, so that we can bridge the gap.’’

    He said the act was presently in the Ministry of Justice after which it would be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council and later to the National Assembly.

    He said the department`s mandate was to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment by monitoring how the environmental assessment would be carried out across the country.

    The director said that the essence of reviewing the environmental laws and guidelines was to manage and control widespread environmental degradation in the country.

    Alonge said the environment act had been in existence for more than two decades and needed to be reviewed.

    He noted that the ministry had organised various stakeholder meetings on the issue with a view to ensuring effective implementation of the reviewed act.

    He also said the ministry collaborated with Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) and other relevant stakeholders to enable it to actualise the plan.

    “We discovered that there is deficiency in some environmental areas, such as climate change, environmental assessment among others.

    “There are plans, programmes and policy that are affecting the environment so if the act is reviewed, all the environmental problems will be addressed.’’

  • NESREA seals Lagos firm for violating environmental laws

    NESREA seals Lagos firm for violating environmental laws

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has on Monday sealed a Lagos-based Nigerian Aluminum Extrusions (NIGALEX) Limited.

    The company was sealed for violation of environmental laws.

    According to reports, NIGALEX, established in 1973 at Oshodi, Lagos has a workforce that has since been contributing immensely to Nigeria’s economic and industrial growth.

    The company has relevant modern cutting-edge technology and has over the years emerged as the leading producer of high quality Aluminum products in West Africa.

    The Head of NESREA’s enforcement, Mr. Kolawole Gbenga, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during the sealing that the said company was served numerous violation and abatement notices prior to the exercise.

    He said the agency had discovered that some companies and facilities were into the production of different products without protecting the environment.

    “Today, we have come to seal this company that is involved in the production of metallic products (iron rods).

    “It has not been complying with some relevant environmental laws, such as the disposal of their waste and untreated effluents.

    “We are expected to manage the environment and not to destroy it. If we must site a company, we are expected to follow and comply with relevant laws put in place to protect the integrity of the environment.

    “We have issued compliance notice thrice; also, we issued two abatement notices as warning, but the facility owners failed to comply and we have no option than to apply the law,’’ Gbenga said.

    He said that the company was expected to correct the anomalies before the unsealing by the agency.

    The Lagos State Coordinator of NESREA, Mr Nosa Aigbedion, said the warning notices were served to the company on June 11, 2014 after the first inspection by the agency.

    Aigbedion said that the company was further instructed to install an effluents treatment plant which had not been installed.

    “The company has failed to comply with environmental laws by not having an Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) certificate and non-submission of Environmental Audit Report (EAR) to NESREA.

    “We have applied the carrot and it is time to apply the stick. We conducted the first inspection in 2014 and till date no action has been taken to mitigate the concerns and we have a duty to ensure the environment is clean and safe for all.

    “There is a need for them to reach out to their community as a form of Corporate Social Responsibility,” the Coordinator added.

    Aigbedion advised that companies and industries should buy into the compliance programme and imbibe the culture of respecting and obeying laws to sanitise the environment.