Vehicle emission: Failure of roadworthiness scheme?

Experts have identified failure of roadworthiness scheme as a leading cause of air pollution in Nigeria, particularly as it relates to vehicular emission, KINGSLEY JEREMIAH writes.

If government strengthens efforts to reduce vehicular emission in Nigeria, the seven million deaths recorded yearly due to air pollution according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) may decline. Without deliberate attempt to overhaul the country’s roadworthiness scheme, the 12.6 million others, who get killed every year by environmental risks, according to WHO and other associated damages may also double.

Many Nigerians, who are affected daily by the danger of polluted air, lamented that attention of regulatory agencies, empowered to plan and enforce measures that would reduce emission have not been felt.This is coming after WHO recently fingered four cities in Nigeria as world’s worst for air pollution, pointing to vehicular pollution as one of the leading factors contributing to the ‘named and shamed’ ranking.

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is responsible by law to impose all environmental laws, standards and regulations in the Country, while Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO) is charged with the responsibility of checking vehicle roadworthiness alongside with other related agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and Nigeria Customs Services (NCS)

According to Lagos State Government, about 240,000 vehicles plying roads in the state are not roadworthy. In fact, the statement of the Commissioner for Transportation, Dayo Mobereola, at a media briefing on the 2016 bi-annual safety week of the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Services, stressed that vehicles roadworthy is now focal point of the ministry’s oversight function on the sector.

A motorist, Bondus Adegoke, told The Guardian that the commissioner’s statement left most Nigerians to wonder on germane issues, saying about 90 per of the vehicles on the road have valid roadworthiness certificates issued by the VIO office. According to him, VIO does not request to physically see a vehicle before the certificate is issued.

Except sanity was brought to bear on the certificate issuing exercise, Nigerians would continue to experience avoidable road accidents, he noted.In 2011, the federal government considered a direct regulation on vehicular emissions. The regulation, called the National Environmental (Control of Vehicular Emissions from Petrol and Diesel Engines) Regulations, 2011, aimed at controlling air quality.

If the regulations were enforced based on its basic provisions, vehicle owners would have been mandated to test their vehicles for toxic air emissions and install emission reduction technology at least yearly. But a motorist, who identified himself as Akinyemi Awodele said he had never taken his vehicle for roadworthiness test since it was purchased in 2012.

“We only get a roadworthiness paper from VIO, but sometimes when you meet the officers on patrol, they may ask you to drive your vehicle so that they can inspect things like your headlamps, tyres, rear light”.Automobile consultant, Oscar Odiboh, also said no regulatory agency ever questioned him about the emission roadworthiness of his car.Odiboh said some of the vehicles imported into the country, particularly used vehicle were already condemned due to emission issues, but accepted in Nigeria unregulated.

“I see vehicles with heavy emission everyday but there is nobody on the road to stop them,” he said. According to him, emission issue has not been taken serious in the country because regulatory agencies abandoned their responsibilities.Director at Carbon Exchange Trade, Innocent Azih stated that emission create serious environmental and health concerns, which are being overlooked by the government.

Azih believes that emission reduction regulations in the country are not dynamic and unenforced.To Azih, the laws are not working and may not work until the laws are properly enforced with the right instrument and environment.He stressed that government must prioritise smart options that would help people cut down pollution.

Except there is strong regulation from the federal level things may not change, he said.Similarly, the carbon exchange director conversed for regulations that will drive private sector mechanism and also create enough awareness on the dangers of environmental pollution.

Response from many Nigerians motorists show that a lot of them are not aware of any regulation regarding emission reduction though they are conscious that pollution from vehicle constitutes harm to human life.

According to Awodele he has not heard of any regulation aimed at cutting release of emission into the environment.Environment experts that spoke with The Guardian want new regulations that will put a cap on emission standard particularly for every vehicle that comes into the country.

While monitoring emission through port importation is important, recent statistics shows that most of the vehicles imported into the country are second hand, which are largely brought in through porous bothers.Poorly maintained and second-hand vehicles with poor engine performance, according to an environmental expert, Dominic Abogu, emit huge quantities of harmful air pollutant.

In developed countries, strict regulations are enforced on emission reduction and green vehicles are already taking over the streets including mass transit but that may not be feasible in Nigeria if government fails in its responsibilities, Odiboh noted.

The Director General NESREA, Lawrence Anukam, had said efforts to monitor air quality in the country would soon be unveiled.If the plan becomes realistic, the agency said it would partner key players in the transport sector, including FRSC, VIO, NADDC and NCS.

As Nigeria tries to revamp its automotive sector, Director General of NADDC, Aminu Jalal had also said the agency was at the verge of launching laboratories that would certify vehicle against emission.

The Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer in Lagos State, Gbolahan Toriola, said the days when people get roadworthiness certification without taking their vehicles to test centres are over.

Insisting that Lagos has adequate infrastructure to carry out vehicle emission test, Toriola said the state would soon go tough on owners of rickety vehicles.He said the state has sealed pact with a German organisation to upgrade its system so as to improve roadworthiness, particularly in the area of emission.According to him, Abuja has started using latest technology to test vehicles against emission, and before next year Lagos will start.He said that the test interval is dependent on frequency of vehicle usage.