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Tag: NESREA

  • Popular Ibiza Nite Club in Abuja sealed

    Popular Ibiza Nite Club in Abuja sealed

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed 14 facilities within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for non-compliance with extant environmental laws.

    The facilities sealed included Shaanxi Construction, Airport Road, Abuja; Clover Court, Mabushi, Abuja; Skyscape Real Estate Limited, Sabon Lugbe, Abuja, and Ibiza Nite Club, a popular entertainment centre, among others.

    Addressing newsmen during the exercise on Wednesday, the Director- General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor,  said the facilities were sealed for failure to submit their environmental documents in spite of three compliance concerns letters served on them.

    “Our team had conducted comprehensive inspection of numerous facilities, focusing on compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

    “These inspections revealed several violations related to lack of Environmental Documents, non-adherence to regulations guiding their operations among others,” he said.

    Barikor said these could threaten or endanger both lives and property. He said that following these inspections, the agency issued three notices of compliance concern to the erring facilities.

    Barikor explained that the notices detailed the specific breaches observed and provide a framework for corrective actions.

    “The facilities were required to address these issues within stipulated timelines, but these 14 facilities ignored the agency’s notification of concern letters, hence the need for enforcement.

    “NESREA remains steadfast in its mission to enforce environmental regulations and protect our natural resources.

    “We encourage all facilities to adhere to the established standards and take proactive measures to minimise their environmental impact,” he said.

    He reiterated NESREA’s unwavering commitment to environmental protection. Barikor said the agency would continue to monitor quarrying and construction activities closely and take appropriate actions against any entity that disregards environmental regulations.

    “We urge all stakeholders in the quarrying and construction industry to prioritise compliance and adopt sustainable practices.

    “The agency also urges all entertainment centres to adhere to noise regulations and take proactive steps to minimise their impact on surrounding communities.

    “The agency is committed to protecting the rights of citizens to live in a peaceful and healthy environment,” he said.

  • NESREA shuts 25 facilities over environmental violations

    NESREA shuts 25 facilities over environmental violations

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement  Agency (NESREA), has shut down 25 facilities in four states of the Federation over  non compliance to  environmental regulations.

    Mrs Nwamaka Ejiofor, Assistant Director (Press) in NESREA, stated this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

    She said that the facilities which cut across different sectors were shut down in Anambra, Enugu, Bayelsa, and Rivers for various environmental crimes.

    Ejiofor said these included refusal to conduct  Environmental Impact Assessment before commencement of project, Environmental Audit, and  lack of functional effluent treatment plant, among others.

    She said the sealed facilities included, Rugal  Pharmaceutical, Emene Industrial Layout, Enugu, China Communication Construction Company (CCCC), Owo yard, Enugu, Hardis and Dromedas, Umunya, Anambra State, and Pinnatech Engi Asphalt Plant, Awkuzu, Anambra.

    Others are China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Obogoro Road, Swali, Yenagoa, Bayelsa, Megastar Technical and Construction Company Limited,  Imiringi Road, Yenagoa, Bayelsa and Multi Plan Nigeria Ltd., Okuru-Ama, Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, among others.

    Prof. Innocent Barikor, the Director-General of NESREA, enjoined operators to adhere to the provisions of environmental laws in their operations.

    Barikor said that the agency would  continue to carry out such enforcement exercises in order to safeguard the environment, and serve as deterrent to facility operators.

  • Tinubu appoints heads of NESREA, NDRBDA

    Tinubu appoints heads of NESREA, NDRBDA

    President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr Innocent Barikor as the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

    Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

    The President also approved the appointment of Prince Ebitimi Amgbare as the Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority (NDRBDA).

    Barikor is an academic, politician and a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2015, while Prince Amgbare is a retired naval officer and former commissioner in Bayelsa.

    He said that the President expected that the new heads of these important agencies to discharge their duties with utmost fidelity to the nation.

    Ngelale also stated that the President called on the new appointees to adhere to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and excellent service to the people of Nigeria.

  • National agency speaks on noise pollution by churches, mosques

    National agency speaks on noise pollution by churches, mosques

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) says it has the power to prosecute for noise pollution, churches and mosques that use loud speakers without control while worshipping.

    Prof. Aliyu Jauro, Director-General of NESREA made this known while speaking on Sunday in Abuja.

    According to Jauro, noise is one of the serious environmental pollutants, adding that a noisy place affects plants, animals and humans.

    “Once they are subjected to the noise, it leads to a lot of health problems ranging from hypertension and other diseases. So, as an agency, we have a specific regulation on noise control.

    “What we do as an agency is that we go out to ensure compliance. There is a lot of activities people engage that affect the environment and individuals. We receive complaints from a lot of people.

    “For instance, places like churches, mosques, even industries are causing a lot of noise which we receive complaints from people, so we do visit such areas, sensitising them about the problem people are facing.

    “We also advise them on how they can go about their activities without polluting the environment by the noise. We carry out enforcement when the need arises,” he said.

    Jauro also called for effective sensitisation
    by relevant environmental stakeholders to curb environmental pollution in Nigeria.

    He said that the sensitisation would help the public to understand the havoc pollution was causing both to humans, animals, plants, as well as the environment.

    “Sensitisation is the key, people don’t even know the impact of this noise pollution so we always try to sensitise the public.

    “There is need to sensitise and educate the public on environmental issues so that everybody will key-in to support NESREA so that we will have a cleaner and healthier environment,” Jauro said.

    He also called on Nigerians to ensure they complied with environmental rules and regulations, adding that there should be a noise limit in worship centres, industries, and social gatherings, among others.

    Jauro said the agency had the mandate and power to prosecute any organisation or individual who refuses to abide by environmental rules and regulations.

    “All these provisions are there in our regulations, there is a provision for fine first, when we receive a complaint we go there and look at the complaint.

    “Then, we go back and serve another compliance notice. We will do that about two times, the third one, we can take either the facility or individual to the court of law.

    “But most of the time, we try to see that we resolve the matter amicably with those responsible.

    “We do make sure we resolve those disputes, but if they persist, yes, we can sanction the offenders, and also take them to court of law and some of them can be judged,’’ he said.

  • NCC seeks collaboration to rid Nigeria of e-waste

    Seeking collaboration to rid Nigeria of electronic waste (e-waste), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday opened a public inquiry on regulations for electronic waste and guidelines for disaster recovery.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive (EVC/CEO) of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, while declaring the public inquiry open, appealed for the collaboration of stakeholders in the industry.

    Danbatta called on all stakeholders in the telecom and tangential sectors, including operatives of agencies in the security governance sector to collaborate and rid Nigeria of e-waste, which includes irreparable and obsolete devices.

    Citing a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Danbatta affirms that electronic waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world; and that because the genre of waste is non-biodegradable, like polythene of packaged water, popularly called pure water, it is time stakeholders took concrete implementable actions to arrest the proliferation of electronic wastes.

    The need for coordinated programmes and action to address the rise in tempo and incidents of explosion of e-waste is particularly underscored by the speed of innovations in telecoms industry, defined by the rapid advances in technology which makes it easier and convenient to change malfunctioning gadgets than to repair them.

    The EVC/CEO therefore urged participants to make frank and useful suggestions to deepen the renewed governmental intervention in e-waste management and disaster recovery. He noted that disaster constitute a major disruption with widespread impact on humans, materials and the environment.

    He reminded the audience of NCC’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to address challenges associated with the telecom service provisioning and affirmed that it is in keeping with NCC’s participatory rule-making process and renowned regulatory transparency.

    Attendees and participants at the Inquiry include all shades of telecom service providers and representatives of some public sector organisations including National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).