The Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) on Monday warned stakeholders in the maritime and port industry to adhere to environmental laws, particularly marine waste laws or face severe sanctions.
Speaking at this year’s World Environment Day celebration, (WED) in Lagos, Managing Director of the NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, said that there was a need to willingly and consciously comply with for national environmental laws and standards.
Usman also said that employing environmentally-friendly technologies and methods in industrial processes and production could a long way in protecting and preserving the environment.
Similarly, NPA’s General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Mr. Yusuf Ahmed said that it was the responsibility of everybody to protect the earth from negative environmental effects.
According to Ahmed, humans are part of nature and intimately depend on it for survival on the earth.
He said “We at the Nigerian Ports Authority are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our actions and those of our partners do not impact negatively on the environment, guided by the relevant national and international laws, regulations and conventions.
“Our ultimate objective is attaining port environments that are free of pollution, oil/chemical spills and biohazards.
“We are happy with the understanding and cooperation of our partners in this regards and urge them to sustain it.
“We therefore have a responsibility to protect the earth from negative environmental effects through such conscious actions as afforestation, reducing wastes at source, proper waste disposal and management and generally reducing all forms of pollution,” Ahmed explained.