The National Environmental Standards, Regulations and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has concluded top-gear preparations to partner with the Nigeria Police Force (NPC) in the enforcement of environmental offences such as indiscriminate disposal of refuse, non-compliance to public health standards in the operation of industrial and catering premises and general environmental crimes. The partnership is also expected to ensure prosecution of environmental offenders in Nigeria.
Speaking while receiving the Director-General, NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Chidi Anukam and his delegation at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase admitted that it was necessary for the Nigeria Police to be acquainted with environmental issues, including the laws and regulations. This follows a February 19th, 2016 Leadership Newspaper report .
The Police helmsman while expressing his gratitude for the visit promised to reinforce and reinvigorate all existing pact between NESREA and the Nigeria Police including the implementation of the Environmental Training programme for Nigeria Police initiated by NESREA.
Mr. Arase assured maximum assistance to NESREA, particularly in the area of environmental compliance and enforcement nationwide.
Speaking earlier, Dr Anukam alerted the IG on the growing rate of local and transboundary environmental crimes saying that it was time for collective effort to fight against the menace.
He stated that his visit to the Force Headquarters was to solicit for continuing collaboration and partnership between NESREA and Nigeria Police towards effective implementation of environmental compliance monitoring and enforcement programme nationwide.
He said, “We need to enforce the environmental laws and regulations, and to do that effectively, we need Police cooperation.”
He also briefed the IG on various programmes and activities of NESREA including the active involvement of the agency in the environmental crime programme of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and how Nigeria has benefited from the capacity building and intelligence sharing exercises.
In the light of these, won’t environmental health in Nigeria go into extinction when police begins to enforce local environmental offences which are primarily the duty of EHOs? Can’t the Government strengthen Environmental Health Officers to do their jobs by providing modern gadgets and equipment as it is done in developed Countries like UK and US? It is high time we stop duplicating and cross-carpeting responsibilities. Nigeria Police is one of the best institutions we have in Nigeria despite their shortcomings. Fine! I must applaud them for them for that. At the same time, the Nigeria Police Force has piling loads of security challenges, including the dreaded Boko Haram, unnecessary road blocks and exhortation of undue fines from bus and taxi drivers , including increased proliferation of small arms in the hands of restless youths.
To this note, police should be left alone to do their primary jobs. However, they can carry out environmental awareness programmes. So, NESREA should leave police alone to strengthen the security sector which is continuously confronted with challenges in complex styles, dimensions and sophistication. I think what Nigeria should do is to strengthen existing institution. Environmental Health sometimes referred to as public health is an old profession that has existed for ages. Nigeria has recorded successes in Environmental Health especially in ensuring cleaning of environment in the 1980s. Much can still be done, if proper synergies are built and EHOs strengthen to do their job.
NESREA in a bit to strengthen enforcement, should therefore channel enforcement collaboration to Environmental Health Officer’s institutions, professional and regulating bodies where you have thousands of jobless young environmental health officers who have been trained primarily to address such issues.
Reference:
Tunde Oguntola, (2016): NESREA, Police Collaborate To Curtail Environmental Crime, Leadership Newspapers, online. http://leadership.ng/news/502681/nesrea-police-collaborate-curtail-environmental-crime
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