NESREA Moves To Enforce Environmental Laws

The National Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency  (NESREA), says it will begin to enforce environmental regulations in the country.

NAEREA Deputy Director and Lagos Coordinator of the agency, Mrs Eunice Eze, stated this in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.

Speaking on the sideline of a workshop on “Operationalising the Implementation of the National Environmental Regulations”, Eze explained that the workshop was aimed at sensitising the public and operators in the key sectors that would be affected by the 24 environment regulations currently in place.

The deputy director said the strategy would help prevent the spread of diseases in the country.

She said some diseases could be prevented if the public could keep the environment clean in line with stipulated regulations.

“Our government is really serious this time in tackling environmental problems, because we found out that prevention is better than cure; that some diseases can be prevented if our environment is kept clean.

“That’s why NESREA’s vision is to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for all Nigerians. So, if everybody can put heads together and work with the regulation on ground, very soon, Nigeria will be reckoned with – clean environment, healthy environment, healthy people.’’

Eze said that 11 and 13 pieces of regulation gazetted in 2009 and 2011 respectively, were on noise pollution, erosion and flood, and waste from manufacturing companies.

She said it became necessary to invite the stakeholders to sensitise them on the importance of complying with the regulations.

“There are key players. So, we’ll make sure that all of them are invited to sensitise them to comply with the regulation stipulated for them.

“We have regulation on noise; we have regulation on erosion and flood; we have regulation for manufacturers of beverages and tobacco, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electrical, electronics, sanitation, emissions that has to do with air pollution.”

Eze said that penalties for offenders were categorised with some attracting fines or imprisonment on conviction.

She added that with the regulation in place, it would be a crime for people to throw things out of their cars, saying that anyone caught would be fined N20,000 or one year imprisonment.

“The same thing those who are just discharging effluent, like textile industries, they discharge it into the water body, which contaminates the water even the fish in the stream that people catch and we eat is contaminated. So they can’t go free; they’ll be prosecuted and if found guilty, they will pay penalty.”