Green transport: Vehicles in Nigeria should be subjected to emission tests, expert says

With over 11 million vehicles vehicles on our roads and still counting, it will be near impossible to convert all the vehicles to green or immediately stop their usage. However, as already provided in the National Vehicular Emission Control Programme (NVECP) project of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), we can achieve a near green system if we all subject our vehicles to emission test and meet the prescribed national standards.

This was the submission of Dr A. A Raji, Managing Director/CEO of Rabelat Nigeria Ltd at the 11th National Stakeholders’ Forum of NESREA, where he presented a paper on ‘Green Transportation: Controlling Obnoxious Emissions.’

Noting that transportation was an indispensable aspect of the current age for economic development, he added that “unfortunately, the current transport technology, particularly road transport is closely associated with wide range of problems including global warming, environmental degradation, health implications, and emission of greenhouse gases.

“The immediate and obvious solution to this wanton environmental pollution is greening of the transport sector, which suggests any sort of transportation vehicle or transportation habit that is environmentally friendly and doesn’t emit toxic gasses that could impact the environment and human health,” Dr Raji said.

He defined “Green Transportation” as “any kind of transportation practice or vehicle that is eco-friendly and does not have any negative impact on the immediate environment.”

Among other green transportation options which he said included use of electric and hybrid vehicles, biofuel transportation, cycling and the use of public transportation such as the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) and railway, Dr Raji said, “Controlling obnoxious emission from the current road road transport system is very practical  and can be achieved with focused planning  with strategic targets in emission  reduction within few years.”

While commending NESREA for taking the right steps in setting the national framework for controlling emissions from petrol and diesel engines through the gazetting of the National Environmental (Control of Vehicular Emission from Petrol and Diesel Engines) Regulation 2011, he said “implementing the regulations is one of the sustainable ways of controlling vehicular emissions in Nigeria.”

He also recommended the ban on two-stroke engines and enforcement of permissible limit for vehicular emission which NESREA has completed arrangement for via the NVECP.