The Federal Government announced on Monday that it will now hold international oil companies accountable for the vast environmental contamination around the nation.Information Guide Nigeria
Mohammed Abdullahi, Minister of Environment, particularly claimed that international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria were flagrantly damaging the country under the pretence of crude oil extraction, and he emphasised that suitable sanctions were being assessed to prevent this.
In Abuja, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency hosted the 2022 National Regulatory Dialogue on the review and implementation of National Environmental Regulations.
Abdullahi said, “The Federal Government is conscious of the state of environmental degradation in the country and is making efforts towards the effective management, conservation and protection of the biological resources in our environment for sustainable development.
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“Accordingly, the Federal Government will henceforth hold the international oil companies accountable for the massive pollution of our environment and its ecosystems.
“Government is set to institute an Environmental Task Force, especially on oil pollution and will monitor, track, evaluate and sanction these erring IOCs and their local collaborators.”
He added, “The flagrant abuse of our coastlines, mangroves, natural habitats in the guise of prospecting or exploitation of oil resources must be checked to halt the ongoing devastation of our biodiversity resources.
“Government will apply the principles of ‘the polluter pays’ to help in remediation efforts of polluted communities.”
The minister noted that the Federal Government had established an institutional framework and set of legislation to enable effective environmental preservation and implementation of the National Policy on the Environment.
He noted that since its start, NESREA had established 35 national environmental legislation spanning various economic sectors.
“Having operationalised these regulations over the years and in response to emerging trends in the global environment, it has become necessary to review eight regulations in order to bridge the identified gaps,” Abdullahi stated.
He added, “I therefore, call on everyone, most especially the IOCs and industry operators, to carefully study these regulations and comply, as the government will not hesitate to sanction defaulters.”
Prof. Aliyu Jauro, Director-General of NESREA, indicated that the purpose of the review was to resolve some deficiencies and build a suitable regulatory framework to manage developing and ongoing environmental issues.
In accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal of leaving no one behind, he stated that the plan will ensure public participation in environmental governance and the definition of regulatory agency functions.
The head of the agency remarked that the environmental issues facing the country were enormous, including water and air pollution, industrial and noise pollution, marine pollution caused by the release of plastic and toxic wastes, biodiversity loss, erosion, flooding, land degradation, deforestation, desertification, and climate change, among others.
“From the above scenario, it is clear that the problems of the environment are enormous and complex, therefore, sound institutional and legal frameworks are necessary if they are to be dealt with successfully with the urgency they deserve,” he stated.JAMB Result
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