The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has called on the Nigerian government to take urgent action against plastic pollution. The frontline civic group made the call during the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4), which concluded on April 29, 2024, in Ottawa, Canada.
ANEEJ Programme Manager, Innocent Edemhanria said: “It is a good time to urge the Nigerian government to take a leadership role and support the implementation of a strong Global Plastics Treaty that reduces plastic pollution and protects the health of communities and the environment across the country and around the world”.
Edemhanria also emphasized the importance of taking preliminary actions towards developing a government policy and a National Action Plan, even though the final treaty will be adopted in Busan, South Korea, later this year.
“The National Assembly members should take a cue from their US counterparts where Assembly members Bauer Kahan, Senator Allen, and Senator Blakespear, on February 8, 2024, announced Assembly Bill 2236 and Senate Bill 1053, identical legislation to combatting California’s persistent plastic bag pollution problem,” Edemhanria added.
The ANEEJ Programme Manager further stated, “At ANEEJ, we believe that to truly live up to its responsibility and protect the health of its citizens, the Nigerian government should make concrete commitments and take action to reduce the scourge of plastic pollution that is putting our people in danger.”
The Explainer learnt that, in November 2022, 175 nations, including Nigeria, met at the Punta del Este Convention and Exhibition Centre in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and agreed to develop a plastic pollution treaty by the end of 2024. With just a few months left before the plastics treaty will be adopted in Busan, South Korea, Nigeria has an opportunity to take action to eradicate plastic pollution within the country.
