THE recent arrest of a ship laden with two containers of toxic materials in Lagos underlines the environmental danger the country faces from the random and increasing importation of potentially hazardous materials into the country by unscrupulous businessmen. The situation is obviously compounded by the entrenched Nigerian habit of importing fairly used goods, a situation exacerbated by the dwindling purchasing power of the average citizen. Yet, the serious problems posed to public health make continued importation of such goods unacceptable.
The solution should aim first at strengthening the machinery of law enforcement agencies to prevent or intercept the importation of such hazardous goods. Secondly, government should embark on tough policy measures to stimulate the economy and boost local production of the goods concerned at affordable prices to all Nigerians. To resuscitate the country’s comatose industrial sector, and stop Nigeria from becoming dumping ground for expired products should be an urgent priority for the authorities.
Since 1988, when the first shipment of over 3,500 tons of toxic wastes from Italy was dumped at Koko Port in Delta State, Nigeria has remained a victim of toxic waste contamination from second-hand goods imported into the country. The used goods include cars, refrigerators, television sets, air conditioners, compressor pots and batteries that contain injurious chemicals. More than 85 per cent of such products used in the country are imported without effective monitoring of their impact on public health and the environment. Recently, two ships were detained on account of imported toxic goods.
Reports say the latest ship berthed in Lagos on January 5, 2013, from Tilbury in England, with two container loads of e-waste. As it was in a previous incident, the importers were said to be in Alaba International Market in Lagos. Fortunately, working on intelligence report, officials of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in collaboration with the Customs and other port agencies intercepted the vessel and quarantined it for inspection. It was to be sent back to its port of origin.
The agencies that impounded the ship deserve commendation for their vigilance. But going by the alarming availability of used electronic products in the market, there is cause to question their thoroughness. Certainly a lot of e-wastes go undetected before they are discharged. Besides, the intermittent nature of these interceptions gives impression that the action is selective. To what extent are the agencies at the ports working to ensure that only certified products are imported? Is there a law against the importation of used items? How well are these laws enforced?
For instance, the law on the age limit of imported second-hand vehicles is hardly enforced given the preponderance of very old vehicles on the country’s roads. A one-off interception is not enough. The Customs department should improve its efficiency in order to stop the flooding of the country with substandard products.
One way to deal with the problem is to collaborate with the exporting countries to guard against exporting hazardous materials to Nigeria. It is regrettable that pre-shipment inspection was bastardized and replaced with destination inspection, a condition that has greatly facilitated the importation of substandard goods, aided by system inefficiency and prevalence of corruption.
Ultimately, government should encourage local production of the goods being imported and articulate the country’s requirement in this regard at any given time. There is need to create and nurture the right environment for industrial production. This may include entering into trade agreement with countries from where most of the imports are coming.
Government should be able to compel or encourage these countries to set up industrial plants in Nigeria, and thus encourage cheaper, locally produced goods. This will eliminate the dependence on used goods, in addition to providing much-needed jobs for Nigerians.