NESREA To Take Decisive Action Against Consultants For Report Fabrication-DG

The Director General of NESREA, Dr Innocent Barikor says the Agency is monitoring the activities of state field offices to ensure that staff do not obstruct or interfere with the work of NESREA Accredited Consultants.

Dr Barikor disclosed this at a “Capacity Building Workshop for NESREA Accredited Consultants and Staff on Environmental Audit Reporting,” held in Abuja the nation’s capital.

He says going forward the Agency will be verifying the parameters in the Audit Report submitted by consultants and will also take a decisive action against any consultant that engages in falsification, fabrication and plagiarism.

Dr Barikor also noted that the goal is to produce audit reports that are actionable and technically robust to provide clear guidance for industries and facilities to improve their environmental management practices.

The DG also charged staff of the Agency and accredited consultants to play a critical role safeguarding Nigeria’s natural resources and public health.

While identifying areas for environmental improvement and contribute valuable insights to NESREA ongoing environmental strategy, Dr Barikor says the training is expected to expose NESREA officers and consultants to recent developments and equip them with global best practices.

“This training is expected to expose NESREA officers and consultants to recent developments and equip them with global best practices that elevate the accuracy, comprehensiveness and impact of our audits. Our participants will be enlightened on advanced techniques such as risk-based auditing, lifecycle analysis and data-driven environmental assessments, all of which are essential to conducting audits that are not only compliant but also predictive and preventive.

“As we are aware, high-quality audit reporting is a foundation to environmental compliance and enforcement. Our reports are key instruments that guide policy, inform industry standards and ultimately shape environmental performance across sectors “ he stated.

Dr. Barikor said NESREA staff and consultants are on the Frontline of environmental compliance, hence the training will enhance their capacity to enforce compliance.

“This workshop is sure to emphasize best practices for reporting, including enhanced environmental data interpretation, effective visualization, and clear communication of findings and recommendations,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Programme Manager Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Ishita Garg, said on the regulatory front, a comprehensive audit report can be helpful as it will assist in assessing the compliance status of the industry and understand its environmental performance.

“Comparing data of two to three years can ascertain whether the performance of an industry is improving or declining.

“Most of the audit reports had enough of qualitative information but lacked in basic quantitative data like the production capacity, energy and water consumption, quantity of wastewater and solid waste generated.

‘The reports also have only one-year data which makes it difficult to compare the performance of the industry with the previous years. In the absence of sufficient data, the whole audit process becomes ineffective,”  she stated.

She further stressed that a thoroughly performed environmental audit allows industries to analyse the ambiguities in the implementation of management plans and take corrective measures.

“It also helps industries improve the process efficiency by optimizing the usage of resources, increasing production and thereby resulting in monetary benefits,” she said.

Director, Inspection and Enforcement, NESREA, Mr. Isa Abdusalam, explained that the new guidelines are more robust, focusing on quantitative and technical data from the industries along with the information on mitigation measures taken in various sectors over the years.

According to him, “Apart from being of immense use for project proponents and assistance to experts in conducting audits, these guidelines would also be useful for the regulatory bodies to review the submitted audit reports.”

The one-day workshop organized in partnership with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a global think tank based in New Delhi, India was attended by over 350 participants comprising NESREA accredited consultants and staff of the Agency.

The training workshop is to strengthen NESREA commitment to environmental sustainability, compliance, and the pursuit of excellence in conducting environmental audits across facilities in Nigeria.

An environmental audit is a series of activities undertaken with respect to the operations of a facility or an organisation to evaluate its environmental performance.

It is not a one-time step but an ongoing activity that aims to identify and correct environmental issues that arise during the operation of a project and improve operating and environmental conditions in industries.

Oyenike Oyeniyi