The Automobile and Touring Club of Nigeria (ATCN), a non-governmental organisation that promotes motorsports and road safety in Nigeria has successfully embarked on a training programme in Abuja, with emphasis on how to prevent burning of spent tyres.
ATCN, the sole representative of Federation of International De L’Automobile (FIA), during the programme held at the Cyprian Ekwensi Arts and Culture Centre Area 10, Abuja, emphasised that burning of expired tyres causes health and environmental hazards.
Over 200 participants drawn from the civil service, private companies and organisations, as well as entrepreneurs, underwent training exercises on how to generate wealth from expired tyres instead of burning them.
In his speech, the President of ATCN, Mr. Ishaku Bamayi, said the theme of the two-day training programme – “Applying Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Principles to Automobile Waste: Emphasis on Spent Tyre”- was supported by Federation of International De L’Automobile (FIA) under Sustainable Mobility Advocacy.
According to Mr Bamayi, “This event is designed to create awareness on environmental concerns about burning of spent tyres,” as well as how to turn the wastes into wealth.
Assistant Director at the National Environmental Standards and Regulatory Agency (NESREA), Engr. Chukwudi, who took the first training session, said “The essence of applying EPR is not only to control and manage solid wastes but to also engage manufacturers to ensure a policy action on how to re-use spent tyres instead of burning them and polluting the environment.”
President of Association of Erudite Entrepreneurs of Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar, applauded the organisers for the training noting that, “This advocacy helps us to understand that tyre burning is a problem in terms of environmental hazards.”
The Managing Director of Used Tyres Producers Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria (UT-PRON), Hon. Billy Nwoye, charged the participants to ensure they take advantage of the entrepreneurial opportunities and tips the training would give to them.
Principal Technical Officer of the VIO, Mr. Moses Daniel, commended ATCN for the advocacy programme and admonished the participants to join the advocacy campaign to reach more Nigerians, saying “road safety depends on good or bad tyres.”
