Funmi Ogundare
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) would collaborate to achieve a cleaner and sustainable environment in the state that is pollution free.
The partnership is part of efforts to rid the state of pollution, emissions and other environmental infractions that might be injurious to human health and the ecosystem.
The NPA and the LASEPA agreed at a meeting that was held yesterday at NPA’s office in Marina to strengthen collaborations to monitor and protect the environment.
The officials of LASEPA were led by its General Manager, Dr. Tunde Ajayi while Acting General Manager, Mr. Adekunle Adesona, who was represented by Principal Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Mr. Emeka Uchendu, lead the NPA’s team..
Ajayi explained that the collaboration is essential to making the goal of a safe and sustainable environment possible in the state.
He stressed the need for understanding and joint efforts in tackling environmental challenges, adding that the state government remained the first point of contact and respondent in any emergency situation.
“The purpose of this meeting is to explore opportunities for collaboration and mutual cooperation between LASEPA and NPA in various areas related to environmental sustainability, particularly tank farms management, issue of oil spillage, monitoring and enforcement, submission of statutory reports; audit , environmental , contingency among other areas,” he stated.
He also emphasised the importance of fostering synergy between LASEPA and NPA that would effectively address environmental challenges and ensure compliance with environmental regulations for a sustainable and cleaner Lagos.
In his response, Uchendu expressed his agency’s commitment to working closely with LASEPA to implement environmentally friendly practices that would promote the growth of a sustainable environment in an emerging smart city of Lagos.
He disclosed that NPA had embarked on some initiatives to further promote the growth of a clean and sustainable environment in the state.
He called on the state government to equally intensify efforts in its various advocacy programmes on market sanitation, tree planting, flood free Lagos, emission control, reduction in the use of non- biodegradable elements, among other initiatives.
The meeting ended with the two agencies jointly agreeing to a nine–point workable resolutions that included common communication channels between LASEPA and NPA to bridge communication gap that might be hindering efficiency in joint operations; joint quarterly meetings between the two agencies, inclusion of LASEPA in agencies committee meetings, inclusion of LASEPA officials in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) meetings, carrying out jointly conducted surveillance operations along waterways, holding joint stakeholders’ engagement and awareness campaigns.
=Others are collaboration on the use of LASEPA’s ISO certificated laboratory for analysis, data sharing for environmental audit report, as well as collaboration to allow NPA staff access LASEPA laboratory for knowledge sharing.
