59th Independence: Environmentalist calls for adequate laws to curb waste disposal
Dr Nse Akpan, an Environmentalist has advised the Federal Government to put in place adequate laws and regulations to curb indiscriminate waste disposal as Nigeria marks its 59th Independence.
Akpan gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, flooding and erosion will continue to occur in the country if adequate laws and regulations are not put in place to check indiscriminate wastes disposal.
He advised the government to also empower the Environmental Health Officers that was known as “Wole-Wole” in Lagos to effectively monitor and ensure that people complied with sanitation laws and regulations.
Recounting the achievements recorded in the Environment Ministry to mark the 59th Independence of Nigeria, he said no department or agency of the ministry was left untouched or undeveloped.
Akpan said that initially, there was nothing like environment ministry in Nigeria, adding that environmental issues such as sanitation among others were being handled by the ministry of health in the 80s.
He said that the dumping of toxic waste in Koko village in Delta in 1987 led to the establishment of Federal Environment Protection Agency (FEPA) by late Gen. Sani Abacha in 1992.
He said that FEPA was able to address environmental issues such as sanitation, control of hazardous chemical, waste, forestry, grazing areas among others.
“The establishment of FEPA brought departments of forestry, pollution, desertification, deforestation among others together,” he said.
NAN recalls that Nigeria was ill-equipped to manage environmental crisis causedpjj?the toxic waste in Koko village, due to lack of institutional arrangements, mechanisms for environmental protection, enforcement laws and regulations in the country then.
However, 1999, FEPA and other relevant departments in other Ministries were merged to form the Federal Ministry of Environment but without an appropriate enabling law on enforcement issues.
Akpan said that since the inception of the ministry of environment, issues of biodiversity, game reserve have improved tremendously, whereby the country now have parks and ranches.
He recalled that electronic waste being imported to the country had reduced; the issue of ozone layer depletion causing green house gas had also been curtailed.
The expert said that the ministry also have a forestry research institute managing forest reserve in the country.
He said that the ministry had been able to manage desertification, afforestation, waste, sanitation in market places, abattoir and also ensure designated areas for cemeteries and well fenced.
(NAN)
