The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NESREA

  • NESREA ready to tackle air pollution

    NESREA ready to tackle air pollution

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement said it has begun plans to reduce air pollution from vehicles by setting up operational guidelines for vehicular testing centers.

    The agency said it will set up three testing centers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a pilot before extending it to other states.

    NESREA also said it is committed to enforcing a sustainable environmental campaign that will keep the air clean.

    The Director – General of the agency, Dr. Benebo Ngeri said this in Abuja at the stakeholders meeting on National Vehicular Emission Control Programme (NVECP) in Nigeria.

    Mrs. Ngeri said the move will prevent citizens from air pollution which poses major health risk.

    She said: “Despite its numerous benefits, automobiles have continued to be a major source of air pollution. There has been a rapid increase of cars on our roads and the problem of pollution has increased exponentially along with the growth in the number of cars.

    “In Nigeria, vehicular emissions have been more intense by the increasing number of old and poorly maintained vehicles. About 10 million vehicles and 3 million motorcycles ply our roads with a greater number concentrated in the urban centers. For instance, about 1.2 million vehicles ply the FCT.”

    According to her, reducing vehicular emission is a key to tackling air pollution.

  • NESREA condemns burning of contrabands

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has said it is ready to collaborate with other agencies to stop the burning of contraband goods.

    The agency, he said, has bought an equipment on sustainable burning – the Air Curtain Burner, which controls the emission of air pollutants.

    Speaking with reporters, its Director-General, Dr Ngeri Benebo said NESREA’s collaboration with other agencies in the destruction of contraband was yielding positive results, noting that the culture of burning would soon be over.

    She said the agency’s sensitisation had made some achievements as the public would soon begin to appreciate the new method pf destroying prohibited goods.

    The NESREA said the agency was collaborating with the National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigerian Customs Service and NAFDAC on adopt the sustainable burning mechanism.

    She said the mechanism was introduced to safeguard the health of the people, noting that open burning is hazardous to health.

    “It is in recognition of the adverse impact of open burning that the Federal Government enacted the National Environmental (Control of Bush, Forest fire and Open Burning) Regulations.

    “It was, particularly, to stem the tide of the high incidence of pollution arising from induced human activities, including open burning.

    “This effort is aimed at minimising the destruction of the environment through fire outbreak, burning of material that may affect the ecosystem’s health through the emission of hazardous air pollutants.

    “We have observed overtime that the heavy human health and environmental cost arising from emissions and the resultant air pollution during disposal of contraband in open burning could no longer continue.

    “The accumulation of these particulates in the human respiratory system often leads to persistent cough, sneezing, wheezing and general body discomfort.

    “It also aggravates existing respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic bronchitis,” she said.

     

  • NESREA, NDLEA destroy N1.4bn worth of drugs

    THE National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday destroyed about 7,248.529kg of hard drugs worth N1.9 billion.

    The drugs, among others, include heroin, Indian hemps and all forms of narcotics.

    Cannabis took the largest share of the drugs at 7,183.5kg; psychotropic substances were 40.9kg; cocaine, 18.254kg; methamphetamine 4.7kg and heroin 1.175kg.

    They were burnt at the launch of NESREA Air Curtain Burner, beside Lungi Barracks in Abuja.

    The event was organised to showcase new air burning equipment aimed at reducing air pollution.

    The supervising Minister of Environment, Architect Darius Ishaku, said the need to control drug trafficking, through hunting and confiscation requires more environmental friendly measures to achieve ecological integrity.

    He emphasised the need to avoid emissions and air-pollution during disposal of narcotics.

    Ishaku, who was represented by the Director of Promotion Control, Mrs. Olufunke Babade, said such pollution may affect human respiratory system and cause severe body discomfort.

    The Director General, NESREA, Mrs. Ngeri Benebo, applauded the NDLEA for the partnership.

    She insisted that the agency will always dispose all illegal substances recovered publicly.

    The chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, reiterated the agency’s effort to ensure that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is rid of the illicit drugs.

  • Govt resolves NCC/NESREA rift over base station

    Govt resolves NCC/NESREA rift over base station

    The Federal Government has resolved the rift between the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over base transmission stations (BTS).

    While NESREA was established as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development and charged with enforcing environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations, the NCC was created in 2003 as an independent body to regulate the telecoms sector.

    In the past, NESREA shut some BTS, which NCC re-opened, raising questions about the co-existence of both agencies.

    Minister of Communications Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson said at the weekend during the National Council on Communication Technology meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, that her ministry and the Ministry of Environment had aligned NESREA and NCC regulations on BTS.

    “Working with the Ministry of Environment, we have finally been able to align the NESREA and NCC regulations on base stations. We are working to remove any bottlenecks to the speedy rollout of infrastructure. We have collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Works to streamline and standardise the processes and pricing of Right-of-Way (RoW) on Federal Highways across the country.

    This has been adopted by the National Council of Works and is now applicable to state highways as well. The National Economic Council last month formally endorsed these guidelines and have also committed to streamlining and standardising the levies that are charged on telecoms infra-structure,” she said.

    According to her, “These are extremely significant achievements and milsetones as they have established the predictability of the cost of infrastructure development in the ICT sector, reduced the cost of network deployment by ensuring that for every naira that is spent on infrastructure more is spent on actual infrastructure and less on administration and taxes, as well as shortened the period for application processing.”

    The minister said it is the mandate of the ministry to ‘Connect Nigeria’ with a ubiquitous physical fibre, satellite and microwave telecommunications network that reaches the nooks and crannies of the country. She added that Nigerians also have to be connected through the wide ownership of cost-effective devices or access to devices where people can still not afford them while government will aggressively drive the participation of the citizens in ICT businesses and improve local and domestic value add in the sector.

    She said: “Under the Connect Nigeria Programme, a national broadband strategy and roadmap has been developed by a Presidential Committee to facilitate the achievement of fivefold increase in broadband penetration by 2017.

    ‘’The Committee comprised network operators, ICT infrastructure providers and ofcourse representations from the states—an inclusiveness that has more or less guaranteed that the plan will be implemented successfully. This plan was approved and endorsed by Mr President in May and a Broadband Council chaired by myself has already been inaugurated to oversee the expeditious implementaiton of this plan.”

    According to her, under the programme, the Federal Government is promoting the student computer ownership scheme for students in tertiary institutions, continuing with various initiatives to connect schools to the Internet. It will also ensure that universities and research institutions are connected to the Internet through fibre optic cable while the deployment of additional public access venues, the financial and digital inclusion programme that leverages the extensive assets of NIPOST will also be pursued with vigour.

    She assured that the ministry will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to provide connectivity in the rural areas to facilitate the rollout e-wallet programme and extend it beyond fertiliser subsidy to market and other information farmers need to improve productivity. Rural dwellers, she added, will be included in the Save One Million Lives (of mothers and children) programme of the Federal Ministry of Health. – including Public Assets Venues, financial inclusion and ‘ICT for farmers’ projects.

  • NESREA seizes 15 vessels with e-wastes

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has impounded 15 vessels laden with electronic and other toxic waste products, its Director-General, Mrs. Ngeri Benebo, has said.

    She said the seizures were made within the first six years of the agency’s operation.

    Mrs Benebo said NESREA, through its campaign against toxic imports, made an importer to pay a $500,000 bonds before being allowed to return with the toxic.

    She said: “Through the enforcement of the National Environmental Regulations, 2011, 15 vessels have been impounded for importing e-wastes. Such vessels were made to return their offensive cargoes to their ports of origin.

    “Several litigation on e-waste importation into the country are still ongoing in various courts; a vessel was made to post a bond of $500,000 before it was allowed to sail back with its e-waste, which it had brought into the country.”

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its Chief Press Secretary, Sule Oyofo, NESREA said it had begun the conviction of two top executives in the United States for exporting e-waste to developing countries.

    The convicted persons, Tor Olson and Brandon Richter, are executive members of Executive Recycling Incorporation in the US. They were prosecuted by William Martinez and got 14 and 30 months jail terms.

     

     

     

  • Police plan special unit to support NESREA

    Police plan special unit to support NESREA

    The Nigerian Police Force is to create a special unit to assist the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement (NESREA) in its enforcement drive, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, made the plan known when the Director General of NESREA, Dr. Ngeri Benebo, paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

    A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary of NESREA, Mr. Sule Oyofo, said Abubakar stressed the need for an effective synergy between the organisation and the police to fight environmental offenders.

    Abubakar lauded the development of the Police Environmental Curriculum developed by NESREA, adding that “it will assist in training officers, who are in the police colleges.’’

    He said the training was necessary “so that when they come out, they already know what they are supposed to do with regard to environmental laws.”

    Abubakar said the Nigeria Police Force was prepared to create a special unit of liaison officers dedicated to assisting NESREA in its enforcement activities.

    “I will set up a unit for them and it will be permanently there and the unit will have a better understanding of what you need them to do.

    “From there, we will replicate this in the states. Each state command will have a unit and they will be part and parcel of your organisation.

    “You tell them what to do and the commissioners of police and zonal AIGs (Assistant Inspectors-General of Police) will take it up from there,” he said.

    While briefing the IGP on the curriculum earlier, Benebo said the aim was to give police officers and men improved understanding of environmental issues as obtained in other parts of the world.

     

     

     

  • NESREA introduces regulations to combat environmental disaster

    NESREA introduces regulations to combat environmental disaster

    Following floods in some parts of the country, the National Environmental Standards Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has introduced four new regulations to combat the menace.

    The regulations were rolled out at the Annual Regulatory Dialogue in Abuja by the Minister of the Environment, Mrs Hadiza Mailafia.

    She attributed the flooding to non-compliance with rules.

    She said: “The environment functions as source of raw materials and energy, a provider of services, such as maintenance of climatic system and ecological cycle and a sink for waste. Unfortunately, the functions of the ecosystem are under threat arising, particularly from disregard for environmental laws and regulations.

    “The key environmental challenges facing Nigeria include water pollution, indoor and outdoor air pollution, industrial pollution, biodiversity loss, erosion, flooding, land degradation, desertification, sprawling urban solid waste, open bush burning, noise pollution, environmental pollution and wildlife crimes, climate change, ozone depletion, etc. these can be situated in failure to keep the laws and regulations, man-made or natural.”, she explained

    The four new regulations are: National Environmental (Quarrying and blasting species) regulations, 2012; National Environmental (pulp and paper, wood and wood products) regulations, 2012; National Environmental (Motor vehicle assembly and miscellaneous assembly) regulations, 2012; and National Environmental (alien and invasive species) regulations.

    Mailafia, who was represented by Dr. Modupe Odubela, described environmental regulations as a body of rules that ensures sustainable use of resources and for the social and economic development of the society.

    According to her, environmental protection flows from a principle of a moral and ethical belief that citizens should protect the air, water and land.

    “Environmental governance is not all about government. As citizens of this country, we have a key role to play in promoting environmental governance and in ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment, she added.

    NESREA Director-General, Mrs. Ngeri Benebo stated that the laws are to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

    She called for a collective effort, stressing that the guideline will place stakeholders on the same page as individuals, governments, academia, and cooperate body.

    “We need to do something to better the environment, to care for it because we are all stakeholders of the environment. Let us put regulation that will stand the test of time,” she added.

    Speaking on flooding, the director-general stated that the recent flood is because of torrential rainfall and blocked drains.

    “Once there is going to be torrential rainfall and the drains are blocked, we will definitely have flooding but if the rain is not so much, with time the drains will flow but because government, state government, local government, some persons, you and I have, refused to clean our drains and torrential rainfall comes, then we will find out that there is problem.

    This is one of the things that contribute to flooding,” she said.

    She urged the citizens to shelve the idea that government has to do everything for them.

    “We should go away from the mentality that government has to clean the drain, government cannot clean the drain for you because you messed it up. Government made the drain for water to flow but you decided to put your trash in it, and that is not government duty”

    “Government had to take from its resources to start ensuring that there is succor for those affected and all these would have been avoided or the magnitude would have been reduced if we had done what we were supposed to do”, she added.