By Yemi Olakitan
To ensure the protection of lives and properties of residents, the Lagos state government has promised to intensify efforts at mainstreaming Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) into developmental projects to ensure sustainability.
The Permanent Secretary (Environmental Services), Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Gaji Omobolaji, spoke at a stakeholders workshop on how to make EAI more effective and workable yesterday.
The workshop was to sensitise technical professionals from government MDAs and the private sector on requirements and procedures for conducting EIAs.
Omobolaji, represented by the Director of Sanitation Services, Hassan Sanuth, described EIA as a decision-making tool that guides developmental projects.
“It is a form of predicting what are likely consequences, positive or negative, of any project. It then recommends what should be done to make the project sustainable for the benefit of the environment as well as human beings.
He added: “Lagos State, in the last two years, has been creating awareness on the importance of EIA. We are also extending it into government projects. The government has conducted EIAs on most of the projects it will be executing from next year, we are doing this so that the government itself is not found culpable of flouting the law.
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“The government is ready to implement and also enforce it. It is a government policy that must implemented.”
Director of Environmental Assessment Olasunkanmi Sojunu described EIA as a global tool for environmental management
He said: “Before any project is developed, the law requires that the project be subjected to an early determination of its likely impact, beneficial or adverse. There must also be measures to mitigate those impacts. So if we must have sustainable development in the state and across Nigeria, EIA must be considered essential.
“The responsibility of conducting EIA lies in the hands of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. That is why this stakeholders’ workshop is necessary to sensitise stakeholders.
“We must equip our workers to be able to sensitise the people to do the right thing. We will also be firm with monitoring and enforcement to ensure people do the right thing.
A retired professor of Environmental Science, Babajide Alo, who lectured the stakeholders on EIA, said the government should increase its enforcement to ensure projects are executed in tandem with the EAI to ensure sustainability and safety of residents.
“If EIA is enforced the way it is crafted, projects will not be cited in the wrong places. So the government should do more now to enforce EIA. Part of it is to empower the administrators of EIA. If their capacity is high enough, they can fully understand and enforce the implementation of EIA as is done globally.
“The people also have to be partners in progress. They must ask the right questions about projects coming to their area to ensure it is environmentally- friendly, sustainable, and beneficial to them,” he added.
