Achieving safety and hygiene in our nation’s waters have been a long haul. The effort was almost moribund until a new sheriff came to town. The giant strides of Prof Aliyu Jauro since his assumption of office as the Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, in February 2019, has been brimful. No doubt, his appointment was greeted with fast-paced policies and great enthusiasms to enforce best practices that would engender improved environmental and human health in Nigeria.
In a survey released by the World Health Organisation, WHO, the lack of accessible, reliable and safe drinking water, coupled with poor hygiene, cost Nigeria about USD 1.3 billion. Over the years, this grave concern relating to our inability to properly manage, use and protect water resources for socio-economic development and environmental sustainability has not been met with drastic policies and regulations that could avert this great loss.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency spearheaded by Prof Jauro ensures tightened regulations controlling water pollution in Nigeria are enforced. Speaking at a NESREA’s National Stakeholders’ Forum, the 13th edition, with the theme: “Water Pollution: Innovative Solutions for Environmental Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement” held in Abuja, recently Professor Jauro urged all the relevant stakeholders to make patriotic and painstaking efforts to add innovative solutions to the efforts already in place to check water pollution in Nigeria. Among other things, the agency under his leadership, aims to explore other innovative avenues to engender sustainable and scalable solutions to the severe problems of water pollution in our country.
In the wake of this awareness and the inclusion of a wider range of stakeholders, developing a proper management system for water in the country is in sight. As with any worthwhile investment, ensuring the protection and well-being of our waters, there are many factors that will come to play.
In fact, it is immensely challenging to agglomerate the success index at this time when it is somewhat difficult to get the government to throw funds around, it is hoped that Jauro the hard worker will be able to convince his ogas at the top of the importance of this project.
In fact, the very survival and well-being of the nation may be hanging in this delicate balance. This will invariably improve water quality, the economy and the environment, all thanks to the doggedness of Prof, Jauro.
Joseph writes from Kaduna
