The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to facilities failing to adhere to environmental laws, threatening sanctions against any operations in violation. This announcement was made by the Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Innocent Barikor, on Thursday, following a briefing on routine compliance monitoring conducted by NESREA across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Dr. Barikor expressed concern over the widespread disregard for environmental regulations by some facilities, highlighting a troubling trend of untreated effluent discharge and operations without the requisite environmental documents, such as Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Audits, and Environmental Permits.
“We keep noticing a worrisome trend where some facilities discharge effluents without treatment, operate without the necessary environmental documents,” Dr. Barikor said. “Facilities where these infractions occurred have been issued notices of compliance concerns to abate the nuisance. The Agency will not hesitate to sanction any facility polluting the environment. From January till date, 75 non-compliant facilities have been shut down by NESREA, and the enforcement is a continuous exercise.”
As Nigeria’s leading environmental enforcement agency, NESREA is responsible for implementing all environmental standards, protocols, treaties, and conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory. To fulfill this mandate, NESREA has developed 36 National Environmental Regulations covering various sectors of the economy, which serve as tools to ensure that facilities and industries operate without negatively impacting the environment.
