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Government to punish firms with fake EIAs

By on March 26, 2015

Local and international firms parading Environmental Impact Assessment certificates that are not duly issued by the Federal Government risk severe sanctions.

According to the government, it is the duty of the Federal Ministry of Environment to issue EIA certificates anywhere across the country, while the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency is statutorily empowered to enforce compliance.

Before a landmark judgment of the Appeal Court in December 2014, NESREA and state ministries of the environment and their agencies had been in conflict over the enforcement of the EIA.

The EIA Act was enacted to regulate development processes that might directly or indirectly impact negatively on the environment. By the Act, no industrial plan, development or activity can be executed without prior consideration of the environmental consequences.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, said in Abuja on Tuesday that henceforth, the ministry would met out severe punishments to any company that paraded EIA certificate not issued by it.

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Nana Mede, said, “It is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Environment to oversee the conduct of an EIA process by a proponent, including the issuance of the EIA certificate.

“The statutory responsibility of NESREA is to ensure that the EIA process is carried out and that the elements/issues identified in the EIA certificate are complied with as well as to ensure that the environmental audits are carried out in line with the extant regulations and guidelines.”

She said the process of the EIA could not be compromised, explaining that it was mandatory for any firm or community to abide by the process before embarking on any development project that had the potential of negatively effecting the environment.

As a result, Malllam called on the general public, corporate bodies and state environmental authorities to cooperate fully with NESREA in the enforcement of the provisions of the EIA Act and other extant environmental laws and regulations.

The Director-General, NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anuka, said the judgment was important for the realisation of the agency’s mandate.

 

 

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