National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has intensified its crackdown on facilities operating in violation of Nigeria’s environmental laws. The Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor, warned industries failing to meet environmental compliance standards, emphasising that ongoing infractions would not be tolerated.
This followed a briefing on NESREA’s routine compliance monitoring conducted across all 36 states and the FCT. Dr. Barikor expressed concern over the continued disregard for environmental regulations, particularly among facilities that discharge untreated effluents and operate without required environmental documentation like environmental impact statements, environmental audits and environmental permits.
“We have issued notices of compliance concerns to abate these nuisances, and NESREA will not hesitate to take further action,” Dr Barikor stated. From January to date, NESREA has shut down 75 non-compliant facilities, signalling that enforcement remains an ongoing priority for the agency.