NESREA to sanction erring environmental consultants

Benebo made this known at a one-day refresher/induction programme organised for NESREA accredited consultants in Abuja recently.
She said the agency will not tolerate any unprofessional and shoddy jobs from any consultant and will not hesitate to sanction anyone found wanting.
She said the defaulters will get a monetary sanction at the moment and will be asked to make the necessary corrections immediately to rectify the flaws.
The DG pointed out that some of the reports filed by some consultants fell short of the agency’s standards, especially on environmental audit reports. Benebo noted that some of the observed gaps in the report include citing of outdated regulations and standard and excluding GPS locations amongst others.
According to her, the accredited consultants to NESREA will serve as interface between the agency and the regulated community, thereby facilitating responsibility and compliance among people.
“Now, with compliance monitoring and enforcement programme, a lot of people are awakening to their environmental responsibility but they need more consultants,” she said.
One of the consultants, Adeniji Odebode, from Winners and Associates Limited, said the programme is to prevent environmental pollution and ensure that in spite of the fact that these organisations are operating their business and making money, they are able to internalise and bring in environmental issues and ensure that their impact on the society are not negative. They should also ensure that while making their profit, the health of the community is not injured.
“It has now been realised that many companies are making profit with little or no consideration to the implication of their activities on the environment,” he said.
Odebode said that enforcement of the laws without sanction will not bring about improvement in the system.