By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Minister of State for Environment, Mr Ibrahim Usman Jibril, will today, Monday, June 19, 2017, commission the state/zonal office of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Ahead of the commissioning, the Minister arrived Owerri on Sunday alongside some members of the Ministry.
On arrival, Mr Jubril led his team to the Government House in Owerri to meet with the Governor, Mr Rochas Okorocha.
NESREA, a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment, was created to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for Nigerians.
It has the responsibility for 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 Act empowers the agency to be responsible for enforcing all environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations in Nigeria, as well as enforcing compliance with provisions of international agreements, protocols, conventions and treaties on the environment to which Nigeria is a signatory.
It was formed in 1988 by the Harmful Waste Decree 42 of 1988 as the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) through Decree 58 of 1988 and 59 (amended) of 1992.
The agency started following the dumping of toxic waste in Koko village, in Delta State, in 1987, which resulted into a crisis.