The federal government says it is set to institute an environmental task force on oil pollution and hold international oil companies (IOCs) accountable for the pollution of the environment.
Mohammed Abdullahi, the minister of environment, said the task force will monitor, track, evaluate and punish erring companies.
He spoke on Monday at the 12th national regulatory dialogue on the implementation of national environmental regulations organised by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
The minister said the objective of the dialogue was to produce a regulatory framework to tackle environmental challenges.
“The federal government is conscious of the state of environmental degradation in the country and is making a strong effort in addressing the situation,” he said.
“The federal government is also making efforts toward effective management, conservation and protection of the biological resources in our environment for sustainable development.
“Accordingly, the federal government will henceforth hold the international oil companies accountable for the massive pollution of our environment and its ecosystem.
“Government is set to institute an environmental task force, especially on oil pollution, and will monitor, track, evaluate and sanction these erring companies and their local collaborators.
“Pollution follows the flagrant abuse of our coastlines, mangroves, natural habitats in the guise of prospecting or exploiting our biodiversity resources.
“Government will apply the principles of the polluters pays to help in remediation efforts of polluted communities.”
Abdullahi said the federal government has put in place institutional framework and regulations to ensure effective environmental protection and implementation of national policy on the environment.
He said NESREA has developed 35 national environmental regulations across different sectors of the economy, adding that they have been gazetted and are being implemented across the country.
“These regulations are not designed to stifle economic and industrial development but are put in place to safeguard human and sustainable use of the environmental resources,” he added.
“I, therefore, call on everyone, most especially the IOCs and industry operators, to carefully study these regulations and comply as government will not hesitate to sanction defaulters.
“As we strive to evolve and adopt different approaches and strategies in solving our environmental challenges, I wish to plead with us to work together to review these regulations. The effort will enable us to protect our environment for future generations.”
The minister expressed worry over unprecedented environmental challenges, especially pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss.