9th AEIAN Conference Highlights Urgent Need for Robust EIA Policies, Implementation in Nigeria
By Trek Africa Newspaper
In recognition of the environmental impact assessment in Nigeria, experts, stakeholders and academia have called for a stronger, proper regulation and implementation for result-oriented and for Nigeria to align with developed countries of the world.
They also argued that the sector should not be all-comers affair.
This was said at the 9th annual conference & AGM of the Association For Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN) held in University of Lagos, (UNILAG).The conference with theme, “Institutional Strengthening of Impact Assessment Policies and Regulations”, also featured plenary panel that drawn speakers from FMEnv, academia, private sector, and civil society. Awards were as well presented to distinguished pioneers of EIA in Nigeria and others.
Speaking, National President, AEIAN, Dr. Suleiman Abbas Onimisi said, “This gathering is more than a professional meeting but a national conversation. It is a convergence of the finest minds driving environmental governance and sustainable development in Nigeria. We all know that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the instrument that ensures development does not compromise environmental integrity. But for EIA to be effective, institutions must be strong, mandates must be clear, processes must be transparent, and professionals must be equipped”.
In addition, keynote speaker, Professor of Chemistry, Former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics & Research), Dept of Chemistry, UNILAG, Prof. Babajide Alo, speaking on ‘advancing new paradigms for strengthening policies, regulations and implementation of environmental impact assessment in Nigeria’, said, “The original purpose of EIAs was to produce a high-level framework guide for environmental protection and sustainable development by integrating environmental considerations into the development process. It aims to predict all environmental, health and social impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, provides ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit and fit into the local environment, and present the predictions of impacts and provides alternatives/options for decision-making towards a sustainable project or programme”Discussing on the institutional obstacles/challenges of EIA implementation in Nigeria, Prof. Alo, said, “EIA follow-up, which is essential for ensuring mitigation measures and achieving anticipated environmental outcomes is often poorly carried out because of governance inefficiency. Their is lack of regulatory capacity in post approval monitoring, compliance auditing, enforcement mechanisms, and community participation”.
Also, The Chairman/CEO, Global Environmental Technology Ltd., Engr. Asiwaju Tony Ojeshina, said, “Environmental impact assessment policies and guidelines emerged as a result EIA decree no 86 of 1992 in the 1990s under the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). The EIA policies and guidelines of Nigeria has arguably been considered one of the best in the world. The reason for this is as follows, FEPA adopted a three prong approach of bringing together European, American and African policies to evolve the Nigerian guidelines in order to develop a very robust document for Nigeria”.
Contributing, Former Head of Federal Civil Service, also Director of Pollution Control, Federal Ministry of Environment up to year 2006, Professor Ladakpo Afolabi, said, “We have made the point that the tool of environmental impact assessment, EIA, is a requirement for any development to be sustainable. That point is made. But remember, this was made into law in 1992, that’s about 33 years ago. We need to review it, both in terms of content and in terms of practice. So I will say it’s work in progress”.
Prof. Afolabi said that the EIA is a decision making tool. “When we are interplayed impact of any activity in terms of Environment and Society, then we observe the kind of impact and make a pronouncement, whether you can go ahead with this project, or not. So it’s a tool that is so robust that I will encourage we can extend even beyond projects, the well being of all of us, even politics. I think it’s an instrument that we need to further dig into and see how we can expand it in its total well being in this society”.
On the achievement of the association, Prof. Afolabi said that this association was not there when we started implementing, but people find out that we started having all comers, all sorts of people, practising environmental impact assessment and they watered down the quality. “But with this type of association and the vision that the funders have come up with, we can be making more and more progress to make it more professional”.Again, Vice-Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, represented by Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Olumide Adenuga said, “At a moment when nations are grappling with environmental degradation, climate vulnerabilities, rapid urbanisation, and the increasing pressure on natural resources, Nigeria must stand firm in its commitment to development that is not only inclusive but sustainable”.
According to him, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is more than a statutory requirement; it is a safeguard of our collective future. For any country determined to build resilient infrastructure, protect ecosystems, and foster social equity, impact assessment serves as the cornerstone of decision-making”.
