The director-general of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr Lawrence Anukam, has hinted that the agency was addressing national air pollution problems through the implementation of the National Environmental Regulations 2011.
Addressing the media in Abuja, he said part of the measures adopted in resolving air pollution crisis was through the ban on the importation of two-stroke engine that has already been translated into national fiscal policy.
Anukam maintained that the agency was enforcing the ban of two- stroke engine, with the assistance of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies at the ports.
He said vehicles with two- stroke engines would be confiscated and sent to their ports of origin.
The director general pointed out that the agency would work closely with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the vehicle inspectorate office (VIO) for the enforcement of National Vehicular Emission Control Programme (NVCEP), meant to generate some form of revenue for government.
He stated that about 10 million vehicles and 3 million motorcycles that ply the roads were majorly concentrated in urban centres, saying that 1.2 million vehicles ply the roads in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Anukam disclosed that the agency had implemented the national e-waste control programme at global, regional and country levels as well as arrested vessels carrying e-waste to Nigeria including repatriation of such waste to their ports of origin.
He said the agency won the case on the lingering crisis on issuance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate in a court judgement delivered by Justice Amina Wambai.
Anukam recalled that Wambai had declared that the powers to issue EIA certificate resides with the federal agency contemplated under the EIA Act Cap E12 LFN 2004 which is FEPA, now substituted by NESREA.
