President Buhari honours environment-friendly firms

President Muhammadu Buhari has presented honours to various firms in the environment sector, particularly those, whose activities required detailed compliance for a sustainable environment.

President Buhari who commended the firms for their role in their respective industries in the environment sector said their friendly environmental effort has not gone unnoticed and challenged other players in the sector to be compliant with the rules that keep the population and the environment healthy.

The President also charged state governments to engage and sustain partnerships with NESREA and told the awardees that their voluntary compliance with the rules that guide their operation was indeed inspiring to the nation.

The President who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari pointed out that there was a roof for more commendation after this maiden Environmental Compliance Award (ECA), therefore other companies who are active players in the sector should apply themselves to the compliance for a safe and healthy environment by emulating these awardees.

His words: “While continuing to emphasise voluntary compliance to environmental standards as set out in the NESREA Act, the government will continue to strengthen its enforcement mechanism, and capabilities of NESREA as it works towards a clean sustainable environment.

“At this juncture, Mr President calls on all stakeholders of our environment and especially our Governors to extend hands of fellowship and cooperation as well as support our environment standards enforcement agency NESREA in any way possible and practicable within the provisions of the NESREA Act.

“Finally, I wish to use this opportunity to congratulate the awardees for their hardwork in recognition of which they have earned the awards being presented to them tonight I commend your work and encourage you all to do even more in furtherance of these lofty ideals.

“To other industries that have not made it to the award threshold, I implore you to emulate the exemplary performance of these awardees and by so doing improve the threshold of performance, that by next year this time we shall have cause to celebrate you in equal measure if not more.”

In his address, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi said the awardees cut across different sectors and were selected through a standard process.

He commended the President for elevating the status of the award and proposed the conferment of a lifetime award of the patron of the National Environmental Compliance Award on President Muhammadu Buhari, as recognition of his environmental enforcement efforts while serving as Head of State during the military era and as democratically elected President.

Director-General of the National Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof Aliyu Jauro said between 2019 and 2022, the Agency has undertaken compliance monitoring of more than 10,000 corporate facilities.

Out of which over 260 facilities were sealed for various offences, according to him, the selection of the awardees was made with regard to environmental documentation such as permits, environmental audit and the level of Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) activities carried out by the selected facilities.

Organisations awarded include: UAC Foods PLC, Lagos State, W.J. Bush and Company Nigeria Limited, Kano State, Mother Cat Quarry, Katsina State, Grand Cereals Limited, and Plateau state among others were honoured.

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