The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) have joined forces to ensure environmental sustainability.
On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the director-general of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor led a management team from the agency to meet with the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Adewale Adeniyi for this purpose.
During the meeting, both Barikor and Adeniyi emphasised the existing collaboration between NESREA and NCS and agreed on the need to enhance synergy, particularly at the ports.
In a statement signed by the agency’s assistant director of press, Nwamaka Ejiofor they discussed strategies for seamless processing and verification of environmental documents, including import clearances. They also proposed integrating NESREA’s online portal with the newly developed B’odogwu platform and creating a mechanism for sharing information regarding the enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). To facilitate the implementation of these decisions, a committee will be established.
Barikor also took the opportunity to inform Adeniyi and his team about the Federal Government’s ban on single-use plastics, which aims to promote a circular economy and address plastic pollution in the country.
In response, Adeniyi expressed the commitment of the Nigerian Customs Service to integrate sustainability into its operations and enforce standards in line with the Green Customs Action Plan of the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
