Presidency calls for full implementation of environmental laws

Namadi Sambo
Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Presidency calls for full implementation of environmental laws
Lawan Hamidu, Abuja

Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, has charged National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to ensure full and effective implementation of the environmental laws and regulations at both federal and state levels.

President Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo at the fifth National Stakeholders Forum, said government cannot achieve sustainable development and protect environment without first achieving good governance which is largely dependent on the rule of law.

Supremacy of the law

“A law or regulation that is not obeyed or enforced is as good as not being made.  We must obey the laws.  All sectors of our economy must obey the laws.  Nobody or institution is above the law. The judiciary must ensure that environmental offenders are prosecuted.  There must be synergy of purpose and action between and amongst the executive, legislature and judiciary in our collective efforts to protect our environment and safeguard human health.” He said.

While commending the Nigeria Police and the NESREA for their Partnership, the Vice President reiterated the need to develop the “Train the Trainers” programme, where knowledge can be imparted immediately for better understanding and appreciation of the environmental issues to assist security agencies to detect environmental crimes and prosecute offenders and violators of nature.

Vice President Sambo said that Nigeria would continue to honour its obligations to the environmental conventions, treaties and protocols and review national foreign policy to reflect the importance of environment in sub-regional, regional and global geo-politics.  

“Eco-diplomacy shall be one of the new priority areas of our foreign policy.    But as we support global efforts to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development, we must always ensure that our national interests and priorities are uppermost in our minds in all debates and negotiations,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Ibrahim, said the forum would provide opportunity to analyse compliance on environmental regulation and proffer solutions to environmental challenges facing Nigeria.

Mrs Ibrahim said: “In the next couple of months you’ll see remarkable changes in our drive to enforce laws, because most environmental problems arise due to lack of compliance to standards and regulations.”

The NESREA Act

The NESREA Act was signed into law by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in July, 2007, to evolve a new institutional mechanism for environmental governance in Nigeria, particularly in the areas of compliance and enforcement. 

This is to assist the government to evolve an effective environmental governance system that will develop regulations; set standards; check environmental abuse; and bring violators to book.

Williams