From Uche Usim, Abuja
In a move towards tackling environmental degradation, the Federal Ministry of Environment on Tuesday said it would henceforth obtain inputs and recommendations from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) on projects before approvals and certifications are given.
The Minister, Dr. Mohammed Abdullahi, stated this in Abuja during the “Validation Workshop for Framework Study on Environmental Impact Reporting in the Extractive Industry” organised by NEITI.
Represented by the Director, Environment Assessment, Dr. Abbas Suleiman, the Minister also said he would advise the National Environmental Standard Regulation Agency (NESRA) to work more closely with NEITI in the urgent task of protecting the environment from harmful activities in the extractive industry.
He vowed that, with the validation workshop, the ministry would improve on the existing environmental impact certification process in the overall interest of the nation. He said: “Going forward, the Federal Ministry of Environment will be more proactive in making sure that NEITI’s comments are taken on board before we present any project to the Minister for environmental approval and certification,” he insisted.