NESREA wants operators of environmental facilities to address compliance gaps

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has warned environmental facilities to address compliance gaps in their operations to avoid sanctions.

Amaka Ejiofor, Assistant Director (Press), NESREA, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the Director General, NESREA, Dr Innocent Barikor, gave the warning when he received a brief on routine compliance monitoring.

Barikor said the routine monitoring was carried out by the agency across the 36 States of the federation and the FCT.

He expressed displeasure over the flagrant disregard for laid down environmental laws by facilities.

“We keep noticing a worrisome trend where some facilities discharge effluents without treatment, operate without the necessary environmental documents such as Environmental Impact Statement, Environmental Audit and Environmental Permit.

“This cannot be allowed.

“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.’’

Barikor said that from January to date, 75 non-compliant facilities had been shut down by NESREA.

“The enforcement is a continuous exercise,” he said.

NESREA is the foremost environmental enforcement Agency in the country, charged with the responsibility of enforcing all standards, protocols, treaties and conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.

In line with its mandate, the agency has developed 36 National Environmental Regulations cutting across different sectors of the economy.

These regulations are the tools deployed by the agency in ensuring that activities by facilities and industries do not, in any way, impact negatively on the environment.