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FG in Renewed Commitment to Fight Against Environmental, Health Risks, Vows Crackdown on Illegal Recycling Operations in Nigeria

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FG in Renewed Commitment to Fight Against Environmental, Health Risks, Vows Crackdown on Illegal Recycling Operations in Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government in its renewed commitment to addressing environmental and health risks associated with the improper disposal and recycling of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs) in the country, on Tuesday vowed to crack down on illegal recycling operations in Nigeria.

While promising to implement policies to promote safe and sustainable battery waste management in the country, the Federal Government expressed its readiness to take the battle to ensure that the country is free of pollution from lead to every nooks and crannies of the country.

Speaking at the International Conference on Upgrading the Lead-Acid Battery Recycling Sector in the African Region, organized by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADeV) on behalf of Oeko-Institut Germany, held on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal while presenting his keynote address,, said there is the urgent need to regulate lead-acid battery recycling, warning against the severe health risks posed by unsafe recycling practices.

The Minister, who was represented by the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Engr. Bahijjahtu Abubakar, said with Africa experiencing rapid economic growth and increased demand for energy storage, cautioned that the improper disposal of lead-acid batteries has become a serious environmental and public health challenge, particularly due to lead poisoning in informal recycling operations.

He said: “The Federal Government fully recognizes the dangers of improper management of used lead-acid batteries and has taken proactive steps to regulate and modernize the sector.

“We have recently launched the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulation 2024, setting stringent guidelines for the collection, transportation, processing, and disposal of lead-acid batteries.”

Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor, underscored the importance of a collaborative approach in tackling battery waste management, highlighting the risks posed by unregulated recycling operations.

He noted that improper handling of lead-acid batteries has led to widespread soil and water contamination, air pollution, and severe health issues for workers and surrounding communities.

He assured that NESREA will intensify monitoring efforts, enforce compliance with environmental laws, and shut down illegal recycling operations.

In his remarks, Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Terseer Ugbor, called for urgent reforms in the sector, urging the government to develop strategic policies to make Nigeria a hub for battery recycling and manufacturing in Africa.

He further advocated for investments in research, development, and collaboration between public and private sectors.

He revealed that the House Committee on Environment had proposed the repeal and re-enactment of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act to become the Environmental, Social, and Health Impact Assessment Act, which he said would significantly strengthen battery recycling regulations.

He said, “In the business of lead-acid battery recycling, we are now seeing an overcapacity issue where even the cleanest recycling plants struggle to find lead batteries to recycle.

“With this in mind, Nigeria must reconsider its ban on used battery imports and grant concessions to companies with the capacity to recycle responsibly.” He added.

Representing the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Programme Component and Implementation Manager at GIZ, Joshua Yari Garba, commended Nigeria’s commitment to advancing sustainable battery recycling and reaffirmed Germany’s support.

Garba emphasized that Germany’s support has significantly reduced environmental hazards caused by battery waste, strengthened private sector investments, and created employment opportunities, particularly for women and youth.

He said, “For over 50 years, Germany and Nigeria have collaborated on environmental initiatives, with Germany providing technical support in the transition to a green economy.

“We hope that this platform will further provide opportunities to address pressing environmental challenges and foster economic growth in Africa,” he added.

FG in Renewed Commitment to Fight Against Environmental, Health Risks, Vows Crackdown on Illegal Recycling Operations in Nigeria

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

By: Michael Mike

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.

The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.

The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.

The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.

According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.

The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.

It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

By: Michael Mike

A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.

Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.

He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.

“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.

“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.

According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.

Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.

He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.

He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.

“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.

“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.

In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.

Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.

He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.

“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.

“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.

“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.

The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).

He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.

Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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