Reps seek review of EIA legislation to tackle impunity in environmental sector

FOLLOWING the poor implementation of environmental legislations in some sectors of the economy, especially, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) law, the House of Representatives Committee on Environment has advocated a review of the environmental legislations in the country, with a view to adequately address the challenges, which conspire to produce deleterious effects on the environment.

Chairman of the committee, Uche Ekwunife who spoke ahead of an International Bilingual Summit with the theme: “Enhancing legislations for the effective implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in West Africa,” at the weekend expressed the need to review the EIA legislation to tackle the impunity in the different sectors that devastate the environment through effective legislation to minimize environmental degradation and promote sustainable development.

Ekwunife said the summit organised by the House committee will provide the opportunity for key stakeholders in the infrastructure, agricultural, oil and gas, power, transport, security sectors to deliberate on approaches to improving the EIA administration in Nigeria and West Africa through operational legislations.

She said the bilingual summit slated for 28 April in Abuja will also “identify sectors that have adverse operational impact on the environment and brainstorm on how to minimize their impacts, articulate effective approach to EIA legislation and deliberate on the reasons for poor implementation of environmental legislations in some sectors of the states economies,” among others.

Corroborating, spokesman and summit consultant, Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji also specifically expressed the need for the incoming administration headed by Gen Mohammadu Buhari to review the Environmental Impact Assessment legislation to stem the wanton devastation in the different sectors of the environment and minimize degradation.

“There is a lot that the incoming government has to do. The Incoming government has to look at what is on ground and what has been done so far, and how to speedily improve the legislations that are on ground including the administration.