The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) yesterday said it sealed 39 facilities for violating environmental laws across the country.
The Director-General of NESREA, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities of the Agency in Abuja, said it is on a mission to protect the environment, in line with its mandate, vowing that no environmental offender would be spared.
“Just last week, the Agency embarked on an enforcement drive which led to the sealing of 39 facilities in different parts of the country, for failing to comply with extant environmental laws.
“The facilities had earlier been given notices of compliance concerns, in line with legal provisions, but still failed to abate their infractions against the environment.
“These facilities will be penalised for their offences, and some will be prosecuted in courts of competent jurisdiction. The enforcement is an ongoing exercise and I assure Nigerians that no erring facility will be spared,’’ he said.
Jauro said NESREA is strengthening its enforcement infrastructure, by building the capacity of its workforce and reviewing the National Environmental Regulations.
He added that the Agency will soon host its Annual Federal /States Regulatory Dialogue that will bring together environmental policy makers at both the federal and state levels.
According to him, the Dialogue will also involve industries and the academia, to discuss the national environmental regulations and ensure that roles are well delineated for ease of operation.
The facilities had earlier been given notices of compliance concerns, in line with legal provisions, but still failed to abate their infractions against the environment.
The Director-General said the objectives of the dialogue are to fill in identified gaps in some select national environmental regulations, and delineate roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, to incorporate operationalisation of eco-guard into the national environment through Permitting and Licensing System Regulations.
“The regulations slated for review include, the National Environmental Electrical/ Electronic Sector, Regulations, 2011, the National Environmental Sanitation and Waste Control Regulations, 2009, among others.
“There are emerging environmental issues and interventions that have come up since some of these national environmental regulations were developed,” he said.
Jauro said the review of the regulations will address observed lapses in the course of implementation, adding that the two regulations developed by the agency were recently gazetted and set for operationalization. (NAN)
