* Professor Mohammed Sani Adam Calls For A More Proactive
Approach By Government Towards Addressing Environmental Degradation
In Nigeria
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin of the University of Abuja,
Professor Mohammed Sani Adam, has called for a more proactive
approach by government towards addressing environmental degradation
in Nigeria. Professor Sani Adam made this call whilst welcoming
attendees to the interactive session on Environmental Governance in
Abuja, organised by the Environmental Law class of the faculty with
the theme, “ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN NIGERIA: THE PRESENT AND
THE FUTURE,” which was made available to TheNigerialawyer
(TNL).
Speaking as the Chief host of the event, Professor Mohammed Sani
Adam expressed the need for better synergies between the academia
and stakeholders in government and the private sector in building
sustainable partnership especially in areas of environmental
research and development and consultancy services. He stressed the
need for government to strengthen its political will by ensuring
that the Honourable Minister of Environment is made a member of the
National Economic Council in Nigeria especially at this critical
juncture, as they journey towards achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals, SDGs. He went on to express his worries over the
massive proliferation of bore holes in the cities which is a
consequence of the inability of government to provide portable
water for the populace.
The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, on the
other hand, voiced his appreciation to the organizers, and
emphasized the need to tackle poverty which has a grave effect on
sanitation and management of municipal waste. He buttressed his
point by citing the recent ranking of Nigeria as the country with
the second largest incidents of open defecation. Concluding, Chief
Olusola Oke, SAN, stressed the need for an improved school
curriculum at all school levels to capture environmental
management.
Barrister Bola Braimoh-Tokura, who represented the Director
General of NESREA, Professor Aliyu Jauro, presented a paper in
which steps successive of administrations that have been made in
putting in place legal and institutional frameworks to tackle
environmental problems were highlighted The paper revealed that all
these efforts led to an Act establishing the agency in 2007.
Bola Braimoh-Tokura emphasized that the agency is empowered to
formulate regulations and enforce laws and international treaties
which Nigeria is signatory to. He also stated that the NESREA
Amended Act 2018 empowers the agency to impose stiffer penalties
against offenders and those lapses and inefficiencies that
characterized the previous Act have been addressed to enable the
realization of its mandate. The Director General also seized the
opportunity to highlight certain programmes that will soon be
rolled out to curb environmental degradation such as the Extended
Producer Responsibility, EPR; a programme which makes manufacturers
take responsibility of their product cycle, from manufacturing to
waste stages and also the National Vehicular Emissions Programme,
NVEP.
Participants at the Interactive
Session. Sitting 2nd From L-R Mr Olugbenga Adeyemi (DD AEPB), Prof
Clement Alawa (DVC academic Uni Abuja), Prof M Sani Adam (DVC Admin
uni Abuja), Barr Bola Tokura-Braimoh( Legal Adviser NESREA), Chief
Olusola Oke SAN, Mr Ope Ojo (DD AEPB)
Others who spoke, such as the representatives of the Honourable
Minister of the FCT, Mr Olugbenga Adeyemi, engaged participants on
the moves taken in the Federal Capital for sustainable urbanization
and provision of waste management infrastructure and an effective
value chain, with a view to creating jobs and other
incentives for informal waste managers. They also explained areas
of collaboration with the Municipal Councils in the FCT.
Rounding up the event, Prof Clement Alawa gave the vote of
thanks in which he emphasized the need for such interactive
sessions to be sustained for improved synergy between stakeholders
and the academia.
The event was graced with some special guests who include the
Honourable Minister of the FCT, Alhaji Muhammad Bello, who was
represented by Mr Olugbenga Adeyemi, a Deputy Director of the Abuja
Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, the DG/CEO National
Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA,
represented by the agency’s Legal Adviser, Barrister Bola
Braimoh-Tokurah, the vice chancellor of the university of Abuja,
Professor Michael Adikwu represented by Professor Clement
Alawa, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics of the university and
Professor Mohammed Sani Adam, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin also
of the university who was the Chief Host.