NCE: FG to ban single-use plastic by 2024

MANUFACTURERS and citizens of Nigeria have five years to make necessary adjustments, as a nationwide ban on single-use plastic should be expected in five years.

This is part of the resolutions made at the 13th National Council on Environment (NCE), which held from November 19 to 22, 2019 in Kaduna.

The council resolved that “it has become imperative for the Federal and State Ministries of Environment to embark on advocacy and sensitization on the adverse effects of single-use plastic materials and advised that a moratorium of five years be given before the ban in order to formulate Policy Guidelines on Single-Use Plastic Waste Management in Nigeria.”

A total of 1,100 participants from 32 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including members of the national and state assemblies, state commissioners for environment/forestry; permanent secretaries; special advisers; director general/CEOs of agencies; directors of MDAs; officials of both federal and state ministries; non-governmental organisations (NGOs); civil society organisations (CSOs) and development partners attended the three-day meeting.

The NCE held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Environment, Dr Muhammad Mahmood Abubakar.

The theme was “Promoting Environmental Advocacy for Sustainable Development: A Panacea for Achieving the Next Level Agenda.”

The opening ceremony began with a welcome address by the  Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Kaduna State, Ibrahim Garba Hussain.

The opening remarks of the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, was delivered by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Ibukun Odusote.

The council also noted the “need to ensure that all state governments adopt and implement the provisions of the National Health Care Waste Management Policy (NHCWMP) and its guidelines so as to prevent the menacing healthcare waste problem.”

Regarding the instances of flooding as a result of heavy rains this year, council noted that “the release of excess water in the dams causes excess flood disaster in the riverine communities in Nigeria” and urged all the relevant agencies to effectively manage and monitor this release to curb the adverse effects.

It then identified the need to escalate the Web-Based Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) presently providing predictions in 302 locations in Nigeria to cover the whole country as a result of the recent nationwide flood disaster.