Environment
FG Partners German Agency On Waste Battery Management
The Federal Government says it is collaborating with Deutsche Gesellschaft fur International Zunsammenbeit (GIZ) to develop National Policy and guidelines on Waste Battery Management to ensure safe and healthy environment in the country.
The Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Abubakar disclosed this at a workshop on the Draft National Policy on Waste Battery Management recently in Abuja.
The workshop was jointly organised by the ministry and the German Agency for International Cooperation or (GIZ) under the auspices of Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP)
He said that the ministry would work assiduously to ensure speedy approval of the document by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Abubakar said that Nigeria was a party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal.
He added that the convention controls the management hazardous wastes and other wastes which include used of batteries in the manner that would safeguard human health and environment.
“I am glad that the development of this policy is coming at a time of heightened global concerns on the dangers of improper handling of waste batteries.
“The government is deeply committed to its obligations under the Basel convention on the issues of managing hazardous and other wastes.
“In this regard, government has put in place a permitting scheme which allows hazardous waste that Nigeria does not have the local capacity to handle to be exported to country that have the technical capacity to manage them in an environmentally sound manner.
“The scheme covers a whole range of hazardous wastes including waste batteries, electronic wastes, used oil, spent catalysts, asbestos waste and used tyres among others,’’ he said.
Abubakar said that approval had been given for review of the guidelines on the environmentally sound management of Used Lead Acid Batteries (ULABs).
He said that the approval was offered between July 26 and July 30, at the joint online segment of conferences of the party to Basel, in Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention.
The minister explained that batteries contained heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, silver, and lithium among others which could cause anemia, kidney and brain damage leading to behavioral changes as well as death.
He commended the effort of GIZ-NESP for the collaboration and the European Union as well as German government for funding all the activities on the policy document.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said that batteries polluted the environment, soil, water, and plants, if not properly handled.
Ngige, who was represented by Mrs Lauretta Adogu, Director, Occupational Safety and Health in the ministry, said that recycling of waste batteries was part of the measures to solve environmental challenge.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.