Environment Minister Says Nigeria Ready To Combat Marine Pollution

Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, has said that the Federal Government was determined to combat marine pollution in the country.
Mallam stated this while receiving a letter of approval for Nigeria to host the Regional Coordinating Centre to combat marine pollution in West, Central and Southern Africa.
The letter was handed to the minister by Mr Abou Bamba, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Coordinator on Abidjan Convention.

Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, has said that the Federal Government was determined to combat marine pollution in the country.
Mallam stated this while receiving a letter of approval for Nigeria to host the Regional Coordinating Centre to combat marine pollution in West, Central and Southern Africa.
The letter was handed to the minister by Mr Abou Bamba, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Coordinator on Abidjan Convention.
The minister said the hosting of the centre was an advantage to Nigeria, adding that it would help the country to develop more capacity and technical competence to tackle marine pollution in Nigeria and beyond.
“The regional headquarter is an advantage to us and this shows that if we did not have the technology and the capability to handle it, they wouldn’t have come to us," she said.
She assured that the government would provide office space for the centre to commence operation within six months.
Earlier, Bamba, who is also the Executive Secretary of Abidjan Convention, said that the hosting of the headquarters in Nigeria was another step in tackling marine pollution in the region.
According to Bamba, this will also speed up the clean-up of Ogoni land.
He said that the Abidjan convention would provide adequate logistics to make the Nigerian centre functional and successful.
He said that UNEP and the Federal Government would further meet to discuss the agreement which would be signed to finalise the establishment of the centre.
Bamba assured that the centre would become operational in six months, promising that the Abidjan convention would provide staff, materials and equipment for the centre.
He also said that the convention would pick the bill for the initial and recurring operational costs of the centre.
“In the meantime, I will be pleased to visit the installations which will host the centre and report back to the UNEP on the major findings and observations.
“We estimate that in six months from now, the centre should be operational and start its first assessment activities.
“Nigeria is not by its own; the Abidjan Convention and UNEP will support as much as they can to make this unique experience a success,’’ he said.
He explained that with the centre, Nigeria would be in charge of the coordination of combating trans-boundary marine pollution from Mauritania to South Africa.
Also speaking, Mr Peter Idabor, the Director-General, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), said that the hosting of the centre would enhance Nigeria’s capability to tackle marine pollution.
He said that the Atlantic Ocean was a common factor in marine pollution issue in member countries.