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Tag: NESREA

  • NESREA shuts five facilities in Rivers

    NESREA shuts five facilities in Rivers

    Mr. Raph Nnam, the Zonal Director of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said on Friday that five facilities in Rivers state has been sealed up for non compliance with standards and regulations.

    Nnam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the affected facilities had been given notices of flouting environmental regulations.

    “ We went to town to enforce compliance to our standards and regulations and in the process; we had to seal five facilities that were not complying.

    “ We had given these facilities what we call compliance concerns or notices of what they are supposed to do to abate the wrongs they were doing to environment.

    “ These, they have not complied with over time. Some have lasted for two to three years of non compliance,’’ he said.

    The facilities, he said, were services companies, waste management firms as well as cement and manufacturing companies.

    He said some of the companies had paid violation fees to the Federal Government account and were unsealed.

    “ The agency will continue to monitor enforcement of standards and regulations by facilities to ensure environmental sustainability,“ he said.

  • NESREA seals firm for violating environmental laws

    NESREA seals firm for violating environmental laws

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) yesterday sealed off Nigerian Aluminium Extrusions (NIGALEX) Ltd at Oshodi, Lagos, for alleged violation of environmental laws.

    The company, established in 1973, has over the years emerged as the leading producer of high quality Aluminum products in West Africa.

    Head of NESREA’s enforcement, Mr Kolawole Gbenga, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the company was served violation and abatement notices before the exercise.

    He said the agency had discovered that some companies were producing without protecting the environment.

    Gbenga said: “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.’’

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

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

    Aigbedion said the company was further instructed to install an effluents treatment plant which it has not installed.

    He said: “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.”

    An official of the company declined to speak on the matter.

  • NESREA cautions against desertification

    The National Environmental Standards Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has warned against illegal felling of trees and desertification in the northeast.

    Its coordinator in the zone, Abdullahi Bindawa, gave the warning in his office in Gombe in a chat with our correspondent.

    He said:  “Indiscriminate cutting down of trees and destruction of vegetative cover in the area will create unnecessary havoc.”

    Bindawa explained that cutting down trees without replacement will encourage and give impetus to desertification in the area.

    He said the rate of destruction of trees was higher than that of planting in the zone.

    Planting of trees, according to NESREA chief, will provide food and energy for human needs as well as the needed cover for the land, which he lamented has become susceptible to water gully erosion, wind erosion and desert encroachment.

    He called on government and relevant agencies not to hesitate in bringing to book anyone found in the act of illegal cutting of trees.

    Bindawa further advised residents to always keep their environments clean to avoid flooding, unnecessary ailments and outbreak of diseases.

  • Fed Govt orders companies to submit EPR plans

    Fed Govt orders companies to submit EPR plans

    The Federal Government has ordered manufacturing companies operating in the country to submit their extended producer responsibility (EPR) plans.

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) last year came up with guidelines which would enable companies to take responsibility of the waste from the products they produce.

    Its Director-General, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, who spoke during a press briefing in Abuja, said EPR guidelines has been developed and sent to states and zonal offices where the agency operates.

    Anukam added that the agency has issued an ultimatum for the companies to submit their plans to the agency.

    He said: “That mandate was given by the House Committee on Environment. In fact, what we are asking for is to submit their EPR plan. Even at that meeting too, we were also mandated to provide the EPR guidelines which we have done.

    “The EPR guideline was produced, sent to all our states and zonal offices. We also communicated to them through the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) the need to make sure they provide their implementation plan.

    “In the guideline for the EPR, there is a strong component there. The responsibility of environment awareness on the implementation does not rest with the government alone. The private sector and the industries are all going to be involved.”

    “The ultimatum to them is for them to submit their plans. We must have their implementation plan before we take it to the other level.”

    Anukam said the agency has gazetted 28 laws and regulations since inception, adding that five more laws and regulations are been added to the 28.

    He added that the National Vehicular Emission Control Programme will be launched this month, using Abuja as a pilot.

    Anukam urged the private sector to key into the program.

    He also called on industries in the country without environmental impact assessment law (EIA) to apply for it to eschew sanction.

    He said: “We employ all industries to come for the appropriate permit. We are not doing this to stifle our industries. What we expect the industry to do is to follow the rules. Where the rules are broken;  we sanction them.

    ”We are working with the NCC (Nigeria Communications Commission) to control the siting of mast by telecos. We expect them to comply and follow the EIA on the EPR programme.”

  • NESREA raises alarm over harmful pesticides’ use

    NESREA raises alarm over harmful pesticides’ use

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has raised the alarm over the reemergence of harmful pesticides in the Nigerian markets.

    The agency said it found banned chlodimeform, butachor and orizo plus in Lagos, Enugu, Osun, Benue and Katsina states, during a visit to some markets in the states.

    In a statement, NESREA warned that the pesticides have been proven to be harmful to humans and the environment, adding that the pesticides have been placed under the category of banned and restricted agro chemicals under the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions.

    “In humans, these banned pesticides cause discomforts such as abdominal pains, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting as well as skin and eye problems. In the long run, they could lead to cancer, neurological problems, dementia, and reproductive problems such as miscarriages, birth defects, and premature birth.

    “Repeated application of the banned agro chemicals leads to loss of biodiversity and many of them are not easily degradable. They persist in the soil, leach to ground water and surface water thereby contaminating the environment. Experts have linked poor agricultural yield to the use of banned chemicals,” the statement read in part.

    NESREA said it will sensitise farmers and traders on the use of chemicals, adding that compliance monitoring and enforcement would follow immediately.

  • Jonathan appoints Anukam as NESREA boss

    President Goodluck Jonathan has confirmed the appointment of Dr. Lawrence Anukam as the new Director General/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

    A letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, said tthe appointment, which takes effect from February 17, 2015 is for a term of four years as stipulated in the NESREA Establishment Act 2007.

    In a statement issued in Abuja by the agency’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sule Oyofo, Dr. Anukam assumed the post of the Acting Director- General of NESREA last December, after he took over from Dr. (Mrs.) Ngeri Benebo whose tenure expired on December 18, 2014.

    Until his new appointment, Dr. Anukam was the Director, Planning and Policy Analysis in NESREA.

    He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc.) in Chemistry from the University of Lagos and a Master of Science Degree (M.sc.) in Environmental Pollution Control from University of Leeds, England.

    Dr. Anukam has a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD.) in Applied Geography (Natural Resources Management) from the Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada and a Certificate in Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

  • Re: Wrong way to go

    SIR: The Nation editorial, page 17 of Thursday, August 7, titled Wrong way to go refers. The article appears to have been intended to ridicule and rubbish the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme of the Federal Government being  implemented by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency  (NESREA).

    The EPR is a waste management model which many countries have since adopted in an effort to surmount challenges posed on the environment by non-degradable materials. The programme is in line with the zero-waste idea which is now the norm

    worldwide and is encouraged by international environmental bodies. The  globally acceptable standard is the application of the 5R concept – Recover, Reduce, Repair, Recycle and Reuse. Here, emphasis is placed on the need to recover waste materials, reduce, repair or recycle them for further use.

    In furtherance of promoting best practices in the environment sector through EPR, the Committee on Environment of the House of Representatives held a stakeholders’ meeting on the EPR programmes in Abuja, onJune 10. Stakeholders at the meeting identified EPR as, “a necessary step to take if our industries are to become more responsible corporate citizens as it addresses the lifecycle issues of products, especially what happens to them at the end of their life.”

    The implication is that responsibilities of producers go beyond pushing their products into the market and leaving Nigerians to suffer the harmful effects of the waste which litter the streets and pollute our environment.

    In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, stakeholders were unanimous in adopting the stand that, “All producers should take responsibility of incorporating environmental concerns in the design, process and disposal of their product, including the packaging” and also, maintained that “industry and business should build synergy with all relevant stakeholders including the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN); Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to explore opportunities, and deepen the understanding and implementation of EPR.”

    Many of these companies are multi-nationals who already practice EPR in their countries of origin and many other countries where they operate. Adopting the same model in Nigeria therefore, cannot and should not be a problem for them. The stakeholders particularly in the manufacturing sector, were very well carried along in every step of the EPR programme design. As is traditional with NESREA, no programme is ever developed and implemented without inputs from stakeholders. EPR is no different. As a matter  of fact, some companies have started implementing EPR programme but in a quasi-form.

    In many western countries where EPR is in force, as companies are setting up their production outfits, they are also, alongside, setting up their recycle plants where they receive the ‘waste’ from their products in the form of metals, plastics, can, etc and process them for re-use or other uses. This is the point we need Nigeria to get to.

    In some cases, companies engage the services of already existing recycle plants to reprocess the wastes from their products. Usually there is a form of agreement between the parties as to cost and benefit sharing.

    The manufacturers do not seek the help of government in moving their products to all nooks and crannies of the country. Whatever strategy they have adopted in pushing their products should also serve as a network for recovering the waste. Of course, this does not mean the duty of government to collect waste from Nigerians is cancelled, no. The idea is just that any waste that has a producer’s label on it SHOULD be recovered by the producer.

    Again, we must not fail to acknowledge the job creation opportunities which will be opened up by this programme if properly implemented. The steps being taken by the federal government so far is in the best interest of Nigerians, including the manufacturers.

    • Sule Oyofo

    NESREA, Abuja

     

  • Unions back emission policy

    Unions back emission policy

    THE Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and auto techicians have bought into the Federal Government’s national vehicle emission reduction policy.

    They have also resolved to work together for the success of the policy which enforcement begins in January.

    The policy, which is meant to improve the quality of vehicles and the life of Nigerians, will be enforced by the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

    Under the policy, all vehicles must be installed with emission reduction technology.

    At a meeting in Abuja, RTEAN and the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) said their partnership would strengthen the government’s efforts at ensuring the growth of the automotive industry.

    RTEAN’s National President Alhaji Shehu Musa Isiwele, while receiving his NATA counterpart  Comrade Michael Ajayi Omonayin in his office in Abuja, said the partnership would enhance the industry’s contribution to the transportation sub-sector of the economy.

    The cooperation, Isiwele noted, would also help the government in creating an enabling environment for the manufacturing of vehicles and spare parts in the country.

    He said: “The success of road transport business rests on the professional competence of your members and quality of services provided as auto-engineers which is central to vehicle maintenance.”

    Isiwele said with 16 million members nationwide, RTEAN has a robust spread that is capable of delivering an efficient road transportation business.

    “More than any other association, either in the public or private sector, RTEAN has promoted issues of affordable, quality, durable and sustainable road transport system.

    “Today, it is not surprising that the association is adjudged as the best trade union in Nigeria  in the recent performance rating of trade unions in Nigeria,” he said.

    Isiwele praised  President Goodluck Jonathan for the automotive policy and the improvement in road network across the country. “This improved road network has improved road transportation and reduced accidents and fatalities,” he said.

    Omonayin said NATA sought RTEAN’s partnership on the automotive industry to further promote stakeholders’ dialogue with a view to promote overall public benefit.

    NATA, he said, is training its members in the repair and maintenance of automatic and electronic vehicles that would be replacing the old engines in line with the envisaged success of the auto policy.

  • ‘Environmental challenges arise from lawlessness’

    ‘Environmental challenges arise from lawlessness’

    THE Federal Government yesterday blamed the current environmental challenges on disregard for environmental laws and regulations.

    The federal government  said a total disregard and abuse of the environment has led to indoor and outdoor air pollution, industrial pollution, biodiversity loss, erosion, land degradation, desertification, among others.

    The Minister of Environment Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, said this in Abuja at the Federal/States Regulatory Dialogue on the Implementation of National Environmental Regulations organised by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

    The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Rabi Jimeta, said that 33 national environmental regulations have been reviewed and adopted by the government.

    She said 28 out of the 32 have been gazetted and are being implemented.

    The minister said the dialogue will create an inclusive avenue to promote an effective compliance and enforcement programme.

    The Director – General, NESREA, Dr. Ngeri Benebo, said the agency has developed ways of ensuring an inclusive environmental compliance monitoring and enforcement programme.

  • NESREA, Police to enforce clean environment

    NESREA, Police to enforce clean environment

    THE National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have agreed to enforce laws that will ensure clean environment across the country.

    This, according to the agencies, will make the environment safe and reduce the spread of diseases caused by dirty surroundings.

    NESREA’s Director-General, Dr. Ngeri Benebo, said this in Abuja during a workshop to engage the NPF on the implementation of its Environment Training Module.

    She said the collaboration between the agency and the police was important as environmental issues were now recognised as worrisome security matters globally.

    Benebo explained: “It is meant to among other things, acquaint police personnel with basic knowledge of the environment, environmental resources and issues that cause environmental problems in Nigeria.

    “It will also expose the trainees to the existence and activities of relevant international environmental organisation and institutions as well as local laws and global agreements on environmental protection.

    “Nobody wants to run foul of the law where the police are involved. After this training, the police will now know what is expected of them.”