NESREA As A Regulator

As a Regulator, the Agency focuses her regulatory work on individuals or organisations whose activities pose a threat to the environment. This is carried out through the development and enforcement of relevant environmental regulations and standards; and also through the implementation of various environmental pilot/demonstration programmes.

To date, the Federal Government of Nigeria through NESREA has developed 24 regulations which have been gazette, and popularized for implementation. Four additional regulations were developed in 2012 and are awaiting gazetting.

The Agency works with relevant stakeholders to tackle hazardous waste problems, including the illegal importation and dumping of electrical/electronic waste (e-waste), the Agency also continued her interception and arrest of Vessels carrying E-waste into Nigeria, Just of recent there was the interception at the Tin Can Island Port of two (2) containers on vessel MV MARIVIA, originating from Tilbury, United Kingdom.

The Agency in regulating the Telecom Sector had brought sanity to this sector particularly in reducing environmental nuisance with regards to the indiscriminate location of Telecom Base Transmission Stations (BTS), and building effective database of the Telecom Mast and Base Stations in the country with adequate geo-referenced coordinates.

In addressing national air pollution problems, the Agency in line with the National Environmental (Control of Vehicular Emission from Petrol and Diesel Engines) Regulations, 2011 banned the importation of the highly polluting 2-Stroke Engine; this has already been translated into the national fiscal policy.

In addition to curbing Environmental Degradation by Quarry Operations, the Agency promoted sustainable mining practices and reduced the negative environmental impact of artisanal mining through sensitization and demonstration projects on sustainable artisanal mining in Zamfara, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Ekiti and Osun States.

The Agency in 2012 continued with her statutory environmental compliance monitoring and enforcement activities in the industrial sector nationwide, including Telecommunications; Food & Beverage; Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals; Non-Metallic; Pulp & Paper; Textile, Wearing Apparel and Leather; Electrical and Electronics; Plastic, Rubber and Foam; Base Metal; Iron & Steel; and Hospitality and Healthcare.