The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed structures including a hotel, shopping malls, and others due to noncompliance with environmental laws.
The four buildings are still under construction and are located in Plateau State’s Jos North and Jos South local government districts. The owners of the properties disregarded the Agency and carried on with the building, according to NESREA, in spite of the several letters asking for the required actions to be taken.
The NESREA’s Acting Director of North Central, Jude Appiah said the buildings which include, “Commercial Development Hotel constructed at Atiku Junction, Rayfied, Three Angels City Mall, opposite the Olusegun Obasanjo Model School, Yakubu Gowon Way, Eclipse Nigeria Ltd at Lamingo Road and Elzaks Design Shopping Mall at the Terminus area did not comply with their environmental requirements as stipulated.”
The team leader for the enforcement exercise, Assistant Chief Engineer Abubakar Jibrin from the NESREA headquarters in Abuja, said, “I am in Jos for the enforcement action that we have just done on a few facilities.” The environmental records they were required to provide to our agency were deficient in certain areas.
“It is a continuous process, the ones we sealed today, we have visited them for the required number of visits, letters were issued to them giving them timelines which have expired and they have not come up with the required documents.
“They have to do the audit and submit the documents to our office, having gotten to this level, they will be sanctioned. They will pay fines. It is easier to obey the law, those that have been sealed, will pay fines and still do the audit, and the sealing will disrupt their work.
“Many Nigerians like disobeying the laws, these are laid down things that must be done to get certification based on the category of one’s facility.”
However, only a few workmen were found at the four locations visited, and they were unable to identify the building owners, contractors, or engineers present at the time of the visits.
SOURCE: VANGUARD NGR
