Land border closure has reduced influx of e-waste into Nigeria – NESREA

The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof Aliyu Jauro has said the closure of the land borders is a blessing to environment stakeholders. He said the closure of the borders enhances an environment-friendly Nigeria as the influx of e-waste into the country has reduced.

Prof Jauro who made this known at a stakeholders meeting themed, “E-waste Management in Nigeria: Creating a Roadmap for Efficient Management” organised by Sustainability Series and the Managing Partner of Xploits consulting Ltd, in Abuja recently said e-waste has been a menace in Nigeria and the subSaharan Africa.

He said the Person-in-Port Project by the United Nations University in 2016 confirmed that an estimated 60,000 tons of used electrical/electronic equipment were imported per year via the Lagos two main ports excluding the land routes. He said most of the equipment were partially functional while a remains non-functional.

The DG, who was represented by the Director, Inspection and Enforcement of the Agency, Mrs Miranda Amachree, expressed happiness at the closure of the border, adding that most e-wastes are smuggled into the country through the land border.

“We don’t know what has been coming in.It is only what they tell us. Apart from the electronics, there are also the endangered species that come through the route. But the closure of the land borders is a blessing to us in that

fraction regard,” he said.

The DG also said that the federal government, in an effort to curb the growing concerns of the menace of e-waste in the country, has established some institutional mechanisms for addressing environmental problems in Nigeria. Additionally,the agency had developed an operationalised 33 National Environmental Regulations on the green and brown sectors, among which is the National Environmental (Electrical/Electronic sector) Regulations 2011.

The convener of the meeting, Dr TayoTaiwo, said the country is a consumer nation and love for electronic products can lead to e-waste, adding that the sustainability series is not an end but a means to ensuring effective waste management in Nigeria.

While highlighting the challenges of e-waste management in the country, he said ideas are being explored by the experts to see how these challenges can be turned into opportunities for wealth creation and socio economic development.