Environmentalist highlights causes of pollution in Nigeria

AN Associate Professor of Environmental Management, Dr. Tony Okoye, has identified industrial wastes and emissions from vehicles as major causes of environmental pollution in Nigeria.
Okoye, who is a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State, said this in his lecture titled: Air Pollution, during the 2019 World Environmental Day yesterday.
The event was organised by the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the university.
The expert, who majors in Pollution and Waste Management, said poor power supply also contributes to environmental pollution and reduces people’s quality of life.
He said most companies in the country lacked the requisite technology for proper disposal of wastes, which are largely gaseous emissions, while most rickety vehicles contribute only poisonous carbon monoxide because of their worn out nature.
He added that firms should acquire equipment, to enable them trap gaseous emissions in water for healthier disposal of wastes.
Okoye called on the federal and state governments to enforce rules on better environmental management by strengthening the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and their state counterparts.
Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Professor Clifford Nwanna, said the programme was part of its contributions towards raising awareness on contemporary environmental issues.
Nwanna, a professor of Arts and Sculpture, said pollution was a huge threat to human existence and urged all and sundry to join in efforts to save the environment.