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Tag: NESREA

  • NESREA shuts down 46 facilities in 10 states for environmental violation

    NESREA shuts down 46 facilities in 10 states for environmental violation

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed 46 facilities in 10 states of the federation for various forms of environmental violations.

    According to a statement signed by Assistant Director, Press, Amaka Ejiofor, the enforcement exercise was carried out in Borno, Gombe, Ogun, Enugu, Edo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Nasarawa and Taraba States.

    The facilities were shut down for refusing to comply with the provisions of the National Environmental Regulations.

    The offences include Violation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, lack of an Environmental Audit Report, and failure to develop and implement an Environmental Management Plan.

    Some facilities were also sanctioned for not installing an Effluent Treatment Plant, non-availability of the necessary permits relevant to their operations, and poor housekeeping, among others.

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints new heads for NESREA, NDRBDA

    The director general of NESREA, Innocent Barikor has expressed displeasure over the non-compliance status of many facilities, warning that the trend was unhealthy for the health of the citizens and the environment.

    He said: “It is disheartening these errant facilities carried on their operations in a manner that endangered the environment despite Notices of Compliance Concerns served on them as required by law. The Agency would continue to enforce the provisions of the 35 National Environmental Regulations and would not fail at any time to impose appropriate penalties on violators.”

    Barikor said laws are made for the smooth running of society and compliance with the laws enhances wholesome development, as he encourages Nigerians to be true environmental vanguards by obeying the laws and reporting any environmental violations.

  • Buhari appoints Jauro as NESREA DG

    President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Prof. Aliyu Jauro as the Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, (NESREA).

    NESREA’s Deputy Director (Information), Oyofo Sule, confirmed his appointment in a statement yesterday.

    The statement said Jauro takes over from Dr. Lawrence Chidi Anukam whose tenure expired on the February 17.

    According to the statement, Jauro was Deputy Director at the National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, (A.T.B.U) Bauchi State.

    Read also: Buhari receives minimum wage report

    He holds a Bachelor of Tech. Degree in Industrial Chemistry from A.T.B.U Bauchi and MSc and PhD Degrees in Industrial Chemistry from the same University.

    He joined the university as a Graduate Assistant in 1997 and rose through the ranks to become a Prof in Industrial Chemistry in 2014.

  • SON destroys N8.4m fake goods in Kano

    Standards Organization Of Nigeria ( SON ) has destroyed fake and substandard goods worth over N8.4m in Kano.

    The substandard items which were confiscated towards the end of 2018 from markets across the state include 83 bags of 25 kg rice, 275 bags of Mosquito coils, I90 cartons of shaving sticks, NOCACO Cables, 6 bags of fertilizer, 146 trays of brake fluid and 7 bales of empty sacks of rice.

    SON Northwest Regional Coordinator, Alhaji Adamu Abba who represented the Director General Anthony Aboloma at the destruction of the items, revealed that the goods were impounded, following a tip-off from the markets, in collaboration with sister agencies and effort of the organisational staff.

    He said SON does not derive pleasure in destroying inferior items considering the economic waste and associated with the environmental pollution from the burning of the goods.

    Read Also: FRSC recruits 4,650 personnel, begins training nationwide

    According to him, there is need for manufacturers and distributors of such items to know how committed the organisation is in protecting the rights and safety of consumers from being shortchanged.

    “We need to ensure that in line with our mandate, we do not spear anybody involved in production and distribution of such goods.”

    Also speaking the Kano –Jigawa Coordinator of SON, Alhaji Yunusa B. Muhammad said all necessary procedure were followed before burning the fake items such as securing a court order that gave the body the rights to conduct the burning of the goods.

    The destruction exercise were witnessed by Police, customs, NAFDAC, DSS, NESREA, CIVIL DEFENCE, and Kano consumer protection council.

  • NESREA: Nigerians spend N1.6trl on generators yearly

    About 60 million Nigerians invest N1.6 trillion to buy and maintain standby generators  yearly, the Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Lawrence Anukam,  said yesterday.

    Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja to announce the implementation of the National Generator Emission Control Programme (NGECP) which is expected to begin in January with Abuja as a pilot study, Anukam said the aim of the programme is to control the emission originating from generating sets used in the country.

    According to him, the target is to see that Nigerians use functional, non polluting generating set as alternative source of energy.

    He said: “Recent statistics from the Centre for Management Development revealed that an estimated 60 million Nigerians invest about N1.6 trillion to purchase and maintain standby generators annually.

    “The National Generator Emission Control Programme (NGECP) is a strategy aimed at cutting down emission of pollutants from generators. The programme is being implemented under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) and will involve periodic testing of generators for toxic emissions.”

    Anukam said air pollution, emanating from either vehicular or generating sets, remained a major challenge in the country.

    Read also: Tramadol: Drug abuse in Nigeria now UN Security Council concern

    He explained that the United Nations (UN), World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international agencies had long identified urban air pollutions as one of the critical public health problems.

    Anukam said: “Many cities around the world, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, are experiencing rapid growth. Yet, in the absence of adequate environmental policy and action, this growth is occurring at considerable, and often increasing, economic and social costs.

    “The increase in population and economic development has escalated the proliferations of industries, use of motor vehicles and use of generators as alternative energy sources has led to the prevalent worldwide air pollutions situation which poses a serious environmental threat globally.

    “Atmospheric pollution is gradually becoming a serious menace in Nigerian cities, especially in the metropolitan areas, where the use of power generating sets has become an alternative to power supply.”

  • Nigerians spend N1.6trn annually on generators – NESREA DG

     

    About 60 million Nigerians invest N1.6 trillion to buy and maintain standby generators annually Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Lawrence Anukam, has stated.

    He spoke during a briefing on Wednesday in Abuja to announce the implementation of the National Generator Emission Control Programme (NGECP).

    The NGECP is expected to begin in January with Abuja as a pilot study.

    The DG explained the aim of the programme is to control the emission originating from generating sets used by Nigerians.

    According to him, the target is to see that Nigerians use functional, non- polluting generating set as alternative source of energy.

    “Recent statistics from the Centre for Management Development revealed that an estimated 60 million Nigerians invest about N1.6 trillion to purchase and maintain standby generators annually.

    “The National Generator Emission Control Programme (NGECP) is a strategy aimed at cutting down emission of pollutants from generators. The programme is being implemented under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) and will involve periodic testing of generators for toxic emissions,” Dr. Anukam said.

    Anukam said air pollution, emanating from either vehicular or generating sets, remained a major challenge in the country.

    He explained that the United Nations, World Health Organisation and other international agencies had long identified urban air pollutions as one of the critical public health problems.

    “Many cities around the world, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, are experiencing rapid growth.

    “Yet, in the absence of adequate environmental policy and action, this growth is occurring at considerable, and often increasing, economic and social costs.

    “The increase in population and economic development has escalated the proliferations of industries, use of motor vehicles and use of generators as alternative energy sources has led to the prevalent worldwide air pollutions situation which poses a serious environmental threat globally.

    “Atmospheric pollution is gradually becoming a serious menace in Nigerian cities, especially in the metropolitan areas, where the use of power generating sets has become an alternative to power supply,” he added.

     

     

     

  • NESREA to check ‘environmental terrorism’ in Northeast

    THE National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)  will enforce laws to check “environmental terrorism’’ in the Northeast, its Director, Mr Abdussalam Isa, has said.

    He  stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe, the Gombe State capital.

    He said the agency would ensure that companies and individuals adhere to the environmental laws in the zone or face legal action.

    According to him, environmental terrorism is taking place in some quarters where people and companies fail to be environment-friendly or relinquishing their corporate social responsibilities to government alone.

    He said the only way to sustain the environment for posterity was to enforce the law that protects the environment.

    “If the agency fails in that task, some species of trees may go extinct,’’ NESREA director said.

    He said the agency would achieve this by strengthening environmental monitoring network across the zone to enforce compliance.

    The NESREA director said the environmental laws were made to protect the soil, trees and air quality against environmental terrorism.

    “We must enforce the laws, if we must protect our environment and make it safe for all; any company or individual that fails to abide by environmental laws should be prepared to go to court.

    “We shall prosecute anyone who breaches the law to serve as a warning to others.

    “We shall strengthen environmental monitoring network as well as partner with private organisations to enforce compliance across the zone.

    “Even the activities of construction companies will be monitored against air pollution.

    “If laws are not enforced, they will be useless for the purpose for which they have been enacted. This will not happen in this zone as we are committed to fighting to keep our environment.

    “Aside the enforcement of laws, we as an agency will plant trees and also be involved in periodic cleaning of our environment to show examples,’’ he said.

    Isa said there would be sensitisation to make the people know the implications of violating environmental laws. He then appealed to people to give the agency the needed supports to achieve its task.

  • National Assembly, NESREA, MAN, others collaborate on goods production designs

    National Assembly, NESREA, MAN, others collaborate on goods production designs

    The National Environmental Standards and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is collaborating with the National Assembly and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPR).

    EPR is designed to promote the integration of environmental costs of goods throughout their life cycles.

    It will make the manufacturers of products responsible for the entire life-cycle of the commodity, especially for their take-back recycling and final disposal.

    It also means that a producer of an article should be able to know about the life cycle of such product, how it is used and how it can be recycled. The programme process would give manufacturers responsibility to know the final stage of any given product manufactured.

    NESREA’s Director-General Mr. Lawrence Anukam, confirmed that the agency has developed guidelines for  the programme.

    Expressing appreciation to the NASS for showing a lot of political will in making sure that the EPR takes off, he said the agency was working with MAN to make sure that the EPR takes off smoothly.

    “It is a very good programme and I call on all Nigerians to support it. It is going to create wealth; it is going to make our environment cleaner, and at the same time it is going to make the industry, the manufacturer of that product to know exactly how it can create new designs that can last longer and create less problems on the environment. So, it is a win-win situation for all involved in it,” Anukam said.

    Stating that the collaboration would strengthen and enhance the implementation of the programme, the NESREA helmsman called on the private sector to play a key role in the implementation of the programme.

    “It is necessary that EPR programme comes on board and it needs to be advanced. It is part of the regulations and the law is already there. The programme is an initiative that will control waste, it is also an initiative that will generate waste and we all know that waste is wealth,’’ Anukam added.

  • Environmental safety: NESREA, NCC partner to check telecom operators

    Environmental safety: NESREA, NCC partner to check telecom operators

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) have partnered to ensure telecommunication operators in the country obey environmental regulations for sustainable development of the sector.

    The two regulatory agencies agreed to address environmental impacts of telecom operations should statutory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not properly adhered before citing Base Stations.

    NESREA Director General, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, during a courtesy visit to the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Dambatta in Abuja stated that since the two agencies performs same regulatory role, it became important to develop a synergy to achieve better results.

    He said the growing telecommunication industry in the country should be made sustainable such that it would discourage health impact on the people.

    Anukam, in a statement issued by NESREA’s Chief Press Secretary, Sule Oyofo explained that the agency consider due process such as issuance of warning letters for environmental compliance before it closes any base station for environmental violations.

    It reads; “It was necessary for every telecom facility to follow due process and ensure that proper site specific EIA is carried out before new base stations and telecom masts are constructed.

    “It is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Environment to oversee the conduct of an EIA process by a proponent, including the issuance of an Environmental Impact Certificate or statement, while it is the statutory responsibility of NESREA to ensure that the elements/issues identified in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are complied with, and also to sanction companies that did not carry out EIA before commencement of projects.

    “By working together and sharing information and ideas as well as keeping all communication lines open, NESREA and NCC can forge a common front towards achieving environmental protection.”

    In his remark, Dambatta said while NESREA strives for effective environmental compliance and enforcement, the NCC is committed to ensure quality of service for the subscribers.

    He called for better collaboration for security concerns, especially to resolve any grey areas deployed by the telecom operators. “It is necessary for members of the public to know that the Federal Government meant business in the quest to protect the environment and human lives, and at the same time make Nigerian subscribers happy.

    “We welcome the collaboration. It would grow from strength to strength to enhance effective environmental compliance, monitoring and enforcement,” the statement read.

  • How to tackle e-waste management, by UNIDO, NESREA,

    How to tackle e-waste management, by UNIDO, NESREA,

    National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lawrence Anukam, has blamed the rise in global electronic or e-waste scourge on technological advancement.

    Anukam, who spoke during a sensitisation workshop on the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the electrical/electronics sector at the British High Commission residency in Ikoyi, Lagos, said the high technology consumption rate  implies that sustainable production and consumption of electrical/electronics equipment would help control e-waste.

    The event, organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with Hinckley Associates, United Kingdom Trade and Investment and NESREA, was aimed at creating public awareness for e-waste management.

    It was also designed to promote meaningful dialogue and consultations between NESREA and key stakeholders; understanding current e-waste disposal processes; providing an overview on current e-waste volumes and future projections.

    In a paper titled: “Overview of Hazardous Waste Management”, delivered by the Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of the Environment, (FMEnv), Mr. Theodore Nwaokwe, he said strategies for managing hazardous wastes (HZW) include appropriate use of regulations, research into cleaner production techniques, EPR and environmental impact assessment (EIA).

    Other include compliance monitoring and enforcement; polluter-pays-principle, public education to change consumption and purchasing habits.

    He also listed efforts of the FMEnv to manage HZWs to include the ratification of relevant conventions (Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention, Rotterdam Convention); establishment of regulatory agencies such as NESREA; active participation at meeting and relating to the relevant conventions.

    He said  signing of memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on chemicals and HZW management; establishment of linkage centres, hosting of Basel & Stockholm Convention regional centres, and preparing guidelines, regulations, policy frameworks and standards are other steps the government has taken.

    Nwaokwe also listed some projects undertaken by the ministry to include the establishment of scrap metal recycling plants in some towns, establishment of plastic recycling plants in some cities, establishment of waste recycling facility (material recovery facility) in two cities, establishment of integrated waste management facility, clean-up and remediation of Warri Refinery & Petrochemical Company dumpsites, remediation of sludge pits at Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company.

    He called for a more effective HZW in the country, stressing that there is need for increase in both the federal and state budgetary allocations for HZW management; strengthening of collaboration among MDAs, increased compliance monitoring and enforcement.

    He argued that domestication of all ratified treaties and conventions relating to chemicals and HZWs and intensification of research on cleaner production techniques through increasing advocacy with the National Assembly are ways the menace could be addressed.

    He also called for increased sensitisation of stakeholders and the general public, periodic and regular review of legislations, guidelines, standards, policies and regulations and provision of more infrastructure like landfills, treatment plants, incinerators, transfer stations.

    Speaking on the occasion, UNIDO’s Country Representative, Dr David Tommy, said environmental issues are universal and require everyone’s involvement. He said UNIDO is fully committed to promoting sustainable developmental projects. He highlighted some efforts of UNIDO in the EE sector which include organising an e-waste forum a year ago in collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and the development and submission of a proposal on e-waste, which has been submitted to Global Environmental Fund (GEF) for support.

    Tommy also called for holistic approach to environmental protection. To this end, he stressed the need to set up the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO); set up  Black Box, Registry and Advisory Council for the full implementation of the EPR in the sector. He  pledged UNIDO’s commitment to working with NESREA on EPR implementation.

    Speaking on the relationship between e-waste management and sustainable banking,   Head, Environmental Sustainability/CSR Division, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. A. C. Ifechikwu, said the Nigeria Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP), an initiative of the Bankers’ Committee, was developed to incorporate social and environmental considerations into the activities and operations of the financial sector, and has been adopted by the Nigeria Financial Sector since July 2012, with nine principles. The principles include environmental and social risk management as well as environmental and social footprint, among others.

    He said in deploying a strategy to reduce environmental carbon footprints, the three “Rs”- reduce, that is, waste minimisation/smart procurement; re-use, that is, e-waste, furniture and others. Recycle that is, paper, plastic,; and proper disposal of other wastes.

    In supporting government in e-waste management, Mr. Oluyomi Banjo, an environmental expert at the UNIDO Regional Office, listed UNIDO’s mandate to include helping to promote the greening of existing industries and creation of green industries.

    They also include the implementation of different green industry flagship programmes such as  Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) phase out; persistent organic pollutants phase out and hazardous waste management. Specific products in e-waste that are of concern include flat screens, batteries, CFCs/Fridges and air conditioners.

    In a related development, UNIDO has also organised a workshop on amending the national environmental Ozone Layer protection (OZP) regulations 2009 for the country. The workshop was organised as part of the steps towards the implementation of the project: “Demonstration Project for Disposal of Unwanted Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) in Nigeria”.

    The objectives of the workshop were to identify the gaps in the ODS regulation; inform stakeholders about planned introduction of  the mandatory destruction of unwanted ODS and  product stewardship in ODS containing equipment among others.

    Tommy said the time has come for Nigeria to be fully compliant with product stewardship in line with the EPR. He said the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the ozone layer was the first  protocol  of the United Nations to have all  its member states as signatories

    Therefore, he said Nigeria, as a signatory to the convention,as well as Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Arican Union (AU) are not left behind on recent trends.

    In her presentation on “The Role of Media in Ozone Layer Protection and Environmental Matters” by Environment Editor, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Ms Nkechi Itodo,  listed wrong content alignment in news, poor capacity of media practitioners and organisational issues as some of the challenges weighing down mass media reportage of environmental matters in the country.

    Therefore, she  urged government to champion environment programmes and projects, including funding of media’s participation in environmental conferences to boost media capacity.

    She also tasked journalists to always highlight environment-related matters as developmental issues in their reporting and analysis.

    In all, six papers were presented at the workshop.

  • NESREA begins product responsibility policy enforcement

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) will begin the enforcement of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy in the first quarter of 2016.

    Its Director-General, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, who spoke during a two-day workshop organised for stakeholders in the food and beverage sector in Lagos, said EPR guidelines is the extension of the responsibility of producers, and all entities involved in the product chain, to reduce the cradle-to-cradle impacts of a product and its packaging. He stressed that the primary responsibility of EPR lies with the producer, who makes design and marketing decisions, noting that as a concept and tool, the EPR has become a global best practice operated successfully in several developed and developing countries to deal with the environmental, social and economic challenges of packaging waste.

    While deploring what he described as the slow response by industries generally to the policy, the Director-General acknowledged and commended the exemplary commitment to the EPR programme demonstrated by the Nigerian Beverage Alliance (NBA), a growing coalition of beverage companies founded by Coca-Cola in collaboration with Nigerian Bottling Company, Nestle Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries and 7 Up Bottling Company.  The Alliance is one of only two Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), along with Resource Renewable Limited, currently recognised by NESREA as the EPR implementation platforms for their respective member companies.

    The Coordinator of the NBA, who is also the Public Affairs and Communications Director for Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Mr. Clem Ugorji, said the Alliance decided to sponsor the workshop in order to provide the much needed opportunity for NESREA to clarify some grey areas of the EPR operational guidelines and get feedback from the sector, so that the agency and the industry could work together to achieve the EPR implementation and enforcement in a non-disruptive manner.

    The Alliance, he further explained, evolved from the PET bottle-to-fibre recycling programme that Coca-Cola pioneered in 2005 in collaboration with Alkem Nigeria Limited. This initiative has recovered and recycled over one billion PET bottles so far.

    Dr. Anukam said NESREA was working on a comprehensive sanction and reward scheme for the EPR programme which would be released shortly. He assured that the agency was consulting with other government departments on incentives such as tax rebate for investments made by EPR compliant companies on recycling their packaging waste as well as incentives for investors that establish waste recycling plants in the country.

    He assured that government, through NESREA was committed to creating an enabling environment for the effective implementation of the EPR programme.