Nigeria develops Monitoring System for environmental information

The National Environmental Standards Enforcement Agency in Nigeria NESREA, has developed a compliance Monitoring Information System NECMIS, to ensure useful environmental information for governance in the country.

The Agency says it is also incorporating the use of electronic recording system during compliance monitoring inspection as a means for consolidating disparate data into one repository for better accessibility.

The Director General of NESREA, Professor Aliyu Jauro stated this at the 15th National Stakeholders Forum held in Abuja, the Nigeria’s capital with the theme “Environmental Data and Information Management: A key to Environmental Governance”.

Professor Jauro noted that Monitoring Information System will boost better understanding of principles and key issues relating to data and information management in the Environmental compliance monitoring across the country.

“Commitment by all key sector players to support, promote and release environmental data and information timeously. Establishment of a mechanism for continuing interaction and consultations, including basis for networking, between NESREA and other key stakeholders in data and information management. Identification of viable partnerships amongst the key stakeholders. Deployment of data enabled operationlisation of the Executive Order on the ease of doing business in Nigeria,” Professor Aliyu explained.

Professor Aliyu added that the Agency has also put the NESREA Permit, Audit and Management, MESPAM portal in place to aid the generation, collation, analysis, storage and retrieval of data for compliance monitoring and enforcement programmes.

The Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment Sharon Ikeazor, called on stakeholders to firm up their synergy with NESREA in the area of data and information sharing in the overall interest of the protection of the Nigerian environment.

She said data remained pivotal in national development, especially on its pursuit for a clean environment across the country, while stressing that that this year’s forum is timely coming on the heels of the just concluded conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP26 where the world had focused on the reality of climate change and its devastating effect on the Environment.

“Gathering and analysis of data and information on environmental situation in the country is the beginning of the whole activates aimed at the confirmation, remediation and mitigation of environmental challenges. Environmental Governance capture a wide range of environmental issues including drought and desertification, soil erosion and flooding, pollutions from effluents and emissions, deforestation and solid waste menace among others, attempting solutions to these environmental problems without appropriate data and information will not lead to the expected result,” the Minister explained.

She said Data and information management play critical role in advancing the development and implementation of goals, targets and indicators for environmental protection and sustainable development in Nigeria.

The Chairman Governing Council, NESREA Mr. Iyiola Oladokun said the choice of NESREA to deploy the use of Data and Information Management in policing the environment would open governance of the environment and supports reliable assessment of the Agency’s performance.

“Data generation is also important for Environmental Compliance Monitoring. Environmental Audit reports and Environmental Permit applications to provide necessary data needed for decision making in Environmental Governance. Taking cognizance of the importance of data, NESREA is currently automating the processing of issuing both the regulatory compliance audit and permit certifications,” Chairman Governing Council, NESREA stated.

He said the operationlisation of the relevant regulations was necessary to achieve the objectives need to be measured with data to test performance, such as compliance to recent COP26 decision to reduce temperature rise to15°C, Achievement of the Nigeria’s commitment to cut carbon emission to net zero by 2060, and the Implementation of the recently approved policy on climate change performance.

“The Governing Council will strongly stand by the management of the Agency in delivering on her mandate. All the policies and programmes of the Agency such as this need for Data and Information in aid of Environmental Governance is very well encouraged,” Mr. Iyiola explained.

The Minister of Science Technology and Innovation Dr Ogbonaya Onu said the Ministry has been rebranded and repositioned to tackle the various environmental and developmental challenges confronting the nation through innovative policies and programmes aimed at achieving environmental sustainability.

Dr. Onu noted that the Ministry, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and key Stakeholders, is conducting the Technology Needs Assessment, TNA for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Nigeria in key economic sectors including the Environment sector.

“At the end of the project, Nigeria will have a national Technology Action Plan that will guide both public and private sector investments towards low carbon emission pathway. This is also in fulfillment of the recently reviewed Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC, under the 2015 Paris Agreement,” The minister stated.

The Minister of Science Technology and Innovation also commended the efforts of the Ministry of Environment  and NESREA for organising the stakeholder forum on annual basis, saying the forum has indeed provided the platform to inform Stakeholders about developments in the Science Technology and Innovation sector.

Every year, since inception the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, had hosted the National Stakeholders  Forum where specific themes are discussed with far reaching decisions taken and incorporated into the Agency’s work plan for implementation.