The dire need to provide more stringent controls to address the environmental challenges of the country, notably, desertification, rapid deforestation, coastal and gully erosion, as well as a gamut of man-made environmental hazards such as poor environmental sanitation, air pollution, and electronic waste, prompted the establishment of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in 2007 by the federal government.
However, new environmental challenges occasioned by the development in technology necessitated drastic measures with the requisite expertise to address them. Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2019 had to appoint the erudite professor of chemistry, Aliyu Jauro, as the Director General of NESREA. Prior to Jauro’s appointment, NESREA was virtually a moribund agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment. Professor Jauro was, therefore, expected to bring his vast technical know-how and administrative acumen to bear in attaining the objectives of the agency.
Over one year after his appointment, the NESREA helmsman has not only exceeded the expectations of the president but also that of a large number of Nigerians and the nation’s international partners. Prof Jauro, who hit the ground running, has no doubt made giant strides through the formulation of pragmatic policies and programmes geared towards achieving the protection and development of the environment, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development of Nigeria’s natural resources in general and environmental technology including coordination, and liaison with, relevant stakeholders within and outside Nigeria on matters of enforcement of environmental standards, regulations, rules, laws, policies and guidelines.
The NESREA DG has demonstrated great enthusiasms to enforce best practices that would engender improved environmental and human health in Nigeria. In fact, the agency has never had it so good to translate its set objectives into a pragmatic reality as under Jauro. Those of us who are very conversant with Professor Jauro’s giant strides since assuming office will have no problem dubbing him the best director general since the creation of the agency, and this will still be putting it lightly.
His commitment to the enforcement of the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPRON), for instance, has emerged as a very strong rallying point for technology enthusiasts. Curbing e-Waste has become important because of the excessive damage in health hazards and income that it poses to Nigeria if left unchecked. With this, producers are now mandated by law to take responsibility for their waste all through the life circle of their products.
Achieving safety and hygiene in our nation’s waters was a long haul until a new sheriff came to town. In a survey released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the lack of accessible, reliable and safe drinking water, together with poor hygiene cost Nigeria about USD 1.3 billion. Over the years, this grave concern relating to our inability to properly manage, use and protect water resources for socio-economic development and environmental sustainability has not been met with drastic policies and regulations that could avert this great loss.
However, NESREA spearheaded by Prof Jauro ensures tightened regulations controlling water pollution in Nigeria are enforced. Speaking at a NESREA’s National Stakeholders’ Forum, the 13th edition, with the theme: “Water Pollution: Innovative Solutions for Environmental Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement” recently in Abuja, the DG urged all the relevant stakeholders to make patriotic and painstaking efforts to add innovative solutions to the efforts already in place to check water pollution in Nigeria.
Among other things, the agency under his leadership, aims to explore other innovative avenues to engender sustainable and scalable solutions to the severe problems of water pollution in our country. This will invariably improve water quality, the economy and the environment, all thanks to the doggedness of Prof, Jauro. However, it will be Prof Aliyu Jauro’s dogged commitment in ensuring that those who pollute the environment under whatever guise are arrested and prosecuted that will be one of his best legacies. However, the DG consulted widely even among traditional rulers. NESREA also charged youths to play an active part in the agency’s march towards ensuring a safe Nigeria for all to live and work by joining the agency’s green party to sensitise Nigerians about environmental pollution.
For the first time, NESREA accredited environmental consultants now face the risk of having their licenses revoked over professional misconduct capable of misleading the agency into issuing clearance certificates to clients shadily audited. It was to ensure that everyone involved in this unwholesome practice is made aware of the consequences that Prof Jauro organised a 4-day induction cum refresher courses for new and existing environmental consultants.
It is no surprise then that Prof Jauro’s NESREA has emerged as a very strong partner of the United Nations and has secured the Global Economy Facility Funded Circular Economy Approaches for the electronics sector in Nigeria. Through this multi-million-dollar approach, NESREA and partners are looking to create a robust, self-sustaining circular economy approach for electronics. This is, among other things, aimed at restating Nigeria’s commitment to enforcing environmental protection laws and, most importantly, to ensure that Nigeria makes a quick break away from the roll of nations reduced to destinations for e-Wastes by unscrupulous nations of the world.
Indeed, the NESREA stewardship of Prof Aliyu Jauro has put Nigeria firmly among serious nations. And nothing typifies this seriousness better than the blend of safety and economic viability that the DG is striking; his strategic partnership with other government agencies like Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to drive his policies and strategies towards achieving the one goal of making this nation a robust economy signposted by the commitment towards a safe living and working environment. It is this commitment that is rekindling the faith of international organisations on the ability of Nigeria to do the needful and lead Africa into a future that is edging towards green and self-sustaining societies free of all forms of artificial pollution.
With Prof. Jauro, serious leadership is flourishing in the NESREA, various development partners have been trooping into the agency’s head office, strategising for better and healthier environment while the DG himself has gone round all the agency’s zonal and state offices to boost the morale of staff.
The Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor, and the permanent secretary of the ministry were recently at the NESREA head office and many callers have paid similar visits. Recently, the agency, in partnership with Xploits Consulting Limited and Access Bank Nigeria, organised a one-day sustainable stakeholders meeting with the theme “e-waste management in Nigeria: creating a roadmap for efficient engagement.”
Ikilimah writes from Kaduna
