Chineme Okafor in Abuja
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Tuesday said it has developed and adopted a new policy to protect and manage the environment in all its operations across the entire value-chain it is involved in.
It said the new policy will emphasise on reducing, reusing, as well as recycling waste to enhance its waste management practice and reduce pollution often occasioned by its operations.
A statement from NNPC’s Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja, said the corporation’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, made the disclosure during its celebration of the 2018 edition of World Environment Day.
Ughamadu said Baru was reperesented by NNPC’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Gas and Power, Mr. Saidu Mohammed, at the celebration where he said the new environment policy would enable it effectively manage waste streams generated during its operations by using the best available technology to ensure that the people and environment are protected.
Baru explained that the NNPC would continue to improve its waste management practice in line with the policy to reduce, reuse and recycle to achieve its goal of ensuring that its wastes do not harm people and the environment.
He said the 2018 theme of “Beat Plastic Pollution†for the annual celebration was a call to action for everyone to rise up to tackle one of the greatest contemporary environmental challenges by making positive changes in their everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on the environment.
“We have all contributed to this problem, mostly unknowingly, and we must work together to reduce and ultimately to end plastic pollution,†said Baru.
He added that plastic was composed of major toxic pollutants that could cause great harm to the environment in the form of air, water and land pollution.
On his part, the NNPC Chief Operating Officer (COO), Corporate Services, Mr. Isah Inuwa, said NNPC, as a responsible corporate entity, was obliged to celebrate the World Environment Day which is a day set aside for people around the world to take ownership of their environment and actively engage in its protection.
