The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has urged industries to adopt industrial clustering and explore green financing to reduce pollution and promote sustainable production.
Mrs Angela Iwobi, South-South Zonal Director of NESREA, made the call on Tuesday at a national workshop in Port Harcourt.
The workshop, organized by NESREA in collaboration with Accappocco Global Services Nigeria Ltd., brought together companies and stakeholders from the six South-South states.
It was themed “Health, Safety and Environment, Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability.”
Iwobi said the workshop provided an opportunity for NESREA to engage industries, share knowledge and strengthen collaboration on sustainable environmental practices.
She said the agency would continue to enforce environmental regulations through facility inspections and follow-up visits to ensure compliance with prescribed standards.
According to her, NESREA assesses production processes, identifies environmental deficiencies and provides technical guidance on measures required to address them.
She said the agency issues written directives and compliance timelines after inspections, with follow-up visits conducted to assess implementation.
Iwobi warned that companies that repeatedly failed to comply with environmental requirements could face enforcement action, including the involvement of security agencies.
On sand mining, she said NESREA monitored mining activities and worked with relevant government agencies and miners’ associations to ensure operators complied with environmental requirements.
She stressed the importance of Environmental Impact Assessment reports and other environmental documents in ensuring that mining operators properly managed their activities and waste.
Iwobi urged industries to embrace sustainability, recommending industrial clusters where companies with similar production processes could share infrastructure and services.
She said shared infrastructure, including alternative energy systems, could reduce industries’ dependence on generators and lower emissions.
The zonal director also called for greater government support to help businesses access international green funds and other financing opportunities.
According to her, such funding would enable industries to adopt cleaner technologies and develop more sustainable production systems.
Prof. John Oyedepo, an expert in Applied Remote Sensing and Geospatial Techniques, urged manufacturers and consumers to embrace circular economy principles.
Oyedepo identified recycling, reuse, and recovery of materials as key measures to reduce waste and environmental degradation.
He said materials regarded as waste by one company could become raw materials for another, reducing the need for resource extraction and limiting pollution.
He added that the approach could ease pressure on natural resources and promote more sustainable industrial production.
Prof. Adewale Taiwo of the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said climate change was increasingly affecting aquatic ecosystems.
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Taiwo said rising temperatures were altering natural environments and threatening the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.
The experts called for stronger environmental stewardship, Extended Producer Responsibility and sustainable production practices to reduce pollution, protect natural resources and safeguard public health.
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