Experts and stakeholders in the environmental sector have urged the Federal Government to empower the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, to implement and enforce environmental laws against defaulting individuals and companies.

The agency is saddled with the responsibility of enforcing federal environmental laws governing waste management, air and water quality, chemical use, monitoring and inspecting industries for environmental compliance, issuing environmental permits and regulations for the control of hazardous substances among others.

This came up at a Workshop with the theme: “Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability”, organised by NESREA in conjunction with ACCAPPOCCO Global Services Nigeria Ltd, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital.

The Specialists said that it had become imperative for the FG to back up the agency with authority to arrest and prosecute individuals or industries found culpable of indiscriminate waste and hazardous substance disposal that could cause harm to the environment.

They expressed worry that despite existing laws and regulations guiding the operations of the agency, its operatives still struggled to implement and enforce environmental laws against individual and corporate offenders whose activities were harmful to public health.

The experts said that regardless NESREA services the agency still struggled to make individuals and companies comply with environmental laws, registrations and standards, stressing that empowering NESREA to enforce the laws on defaulting companies would serve as deterrent to others to keep the environment healthy.

They urged the government to create effective awareness through the radio, television, and newspapers to educate and caution individuals and companies on the harmful effects of indiscriminate waste disposal and hazardous substances.

Speaking, an environmentalist, Prof. Adewale Taiwo from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, urged FG to attach security operatives, especially the police to NESREA to arrest and prosecute people and companies that disobey environmental laws and regulations in the country.

Taiwo also expressed displeasure at the way some individuals who did not have septic tanks in their houses directed their sewage pipes into the waterways or across the streets and caused harm to public health, stressing that it was high time the government empowered the agency to deal with such defaulting citizens or industries.

He said, “The major challenges are that we don’t have institutional capacity to handle all these things you are talking about. For instance we are supposed to have police and other enforcement agencies that should back or be attached to NESREA so that whenever they bring out any law any industry or individual that refuses to comply with rules and regulations or standards should be arrested and be prosecuted”

“For instance, if you go to some streets, what you will see there is an eyesore in the sense that what you see there is that they don’t have septic tanks. Some will direct sewage coming from their bathroom or toilet to the street, and everyone passing matches on the sewage, making the environment unsafe for people as they spread diseases.”

“But, in a situation in which we have law enforcement agents working with NESREA, we can just go with their personnel and have offenders arrested and prosecuted. What I am saying is that the Federal Government should empower NESREA on enforcement of environmental laws.”

Another expert, Prof. John Oyedepo urged FG to give the agency necessary supports needed to enforce the laws and sanction anyone or companies found culpable, noting that if the companies were sanctioned the citizens would be forced to eschew any form of environmental pollution.

“NESREA should tighten loose ends with the producers because some producers are careless, especially those foreign companies. Incidentally, about 90% of our Gross Domestic Products is in the hands of multinational companies who are foreigners. So we should enforce that first. Let them operate according to regulations.”

“Years ago when an administration came in we were trained to be disciplined and anybody who was seen not following the queue, throwing garbage on the ground were immediately sanctioned and the country was clean at that time. I believe if the producers first abide by all the regulations, the next thing will be to come to the consumers.” he noted.

Earlier, the Coordinator of NESREA, Ogun State Field Office, Lanre Jimoh, called on the FG to grant the agency power to enforce the already existing laws and regulations against defaulting individuals and companies stressing that once the enforcement began and some faced legal actions they would be cautious of their actions.

“We have laws to take care of that once we find the facilities wanting. The appropriate channel will take charge. We have a legal department that ensures that if they need to be taken to court, they will take them to court and will fined or jailed. We have enough laws, it is just the enforcement aspect that we need the power to embark upon, and once we start enforcing, you will see that more and more facilities will key into it.” he added.