NESREA to address pollution – The Nation Newspaper

Director General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. innocent Barikor, has assured that the government is fully set to address the growing challenges of plastic pollution, particularly the pervasive issue of single-use plastic water sachets in the country.

He said that, Nigeria consumes over 2.5 billion liters of sachet water annually produced by more than 32,000 manufacturers across the country.

He noted that while this has helped bridge gaps in access to drinking water, it has also resulted in severe environmental consequences, including blocked drainage systems, flooding, degradation of ecosystems, and risks to public health and biodiversity.

Barikor  spoke at the Inception meeting of the Global Environmental Facility GEF, Child Project 11193: Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria, noting that this has become both a convenience and an environmental burden.

According to him, the meeting is a commitment to finding sustainable, innovative, and practical solutions to the critical environmental challenge.

He said: “This dual challenge of water access and plastic pollution makes this project not just timely, but absolutely necessary. The GEF Child Project 11193 represents a strategic and transformative intervention. It aligns with Nigeria’s national environmental priorities and NESREA’s mandate to protect and preserve our environment for present and future generations.

“The project adopts a holistic, circular approach, focusing not only on waste management, but on prevention, innovation, policy reform, and systemic change.  This project will strengthen regulatory and policy frameworks for sustainable water packaging, foster public-private partnerships and mobilize investment for circular solutions.

“It will pilot innovative reuse and refill models for the community water system, enhance public awareness and stakeholder engagement, and ensure effective national and global coordination, with knowledge sharing, and monitoring. We are particularly encouraged by the project’s potential to deliver significant Global Environmental Benefits, including the avoidance of over 350,000 metric tons of residual plastic waste, reduction in toxic emissions, and mitigation of nearly 1.9 million tons of CO₂ equivalent. These outcomes demonstrate that environmental protection and sustainable development can go hand in hand”.

He said NESREA is honored to serve as the national executing entity for this project in collaboration with UNEP and other stakeholders. The agency is committed to ensuring transparent governance, effective coordination, and measurable impact throughout the project’s five-year implementation period.