The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed a total of 15 facilities within the FCT for non-compliance with environmental regulations.

The facilities included Soul Lounge Development, Abuja King of Villas, Skippers Electronics Limited, and Ray Royal Construction Company Limited, among others.

Speaking during the exercise, the director-general of NESREA, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, said that it was in line with the agency’s vision of ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment for all Nigerians.

He said that 12 of the facilities sealed were in the construction sector, real estates and other construction businesses.

Mr Jauro said that part of the agency’s duty is to ensure that construction activities do not impact the environment negatively.

He explained that before the agency embarked on any enforcement, compliance notices are served on the facilities and after a while, it checked to see whether they had complied.

”We usually serve these notices about three to four times. Notice of compliance concerns has been served on the facilities and many have refused to abate their infractions against the environment.

”The agency is the enforcement arm of the Federal Ministry of Environment, so we are set up to ensure that people comply with environmental laws, guidelines, regulations and policies,” he said.

He said that the regulations were meant to guide all operations in the environment, including the industries, the “green” sector and the “brown” sector.

Mr Jauro said that the agency would soon embark on a nationwide compliance enforcement programme.

”We are starting with the FCT but the exercise will go to all states of the federation.

”We are at a point where we must do all it takes to protect our environment because it is a basic necessity for our survival on planet Earth,” he said.

Mr Jauro called on all Nigerians to ensure that they abide by all environmental rules and regulations to avoid being sanctioned.

NESREA is the foremost environmental enforcement agency in the country charged with the responsibility of enforcing all environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations in Nigeria. 

(NAN)