CHUKS OYEMA-AZIKEN write that the Federal Government, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is leaving no stone unturned as they seek to protect Nigerians from Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004, is a global treaty whose purpose is to safeguard human health and the environment from highly harmful chemicals that persist in the environment and affect the well-being of humans as well as wildlife.
POPs include some industrial chemicals (such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides (such as DDT) and unintended by-products of industrial processes (such as dioxins and furans).
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are highly toxic industrial compounds. They pose serious health risks to fetuses, babies and children, who may suffer developmental and neurological problems from prolonged or repeated exposure to small amounts of PCBs. These chemicals are harmful to adults as well.
The Stockholm Convention is a legally binding international instrument, designed to lead to gradual decrease of the presence of persistent organic pollutants in the environment. Article 16 of the Convention requires that effectiveness of the measures adopted by the Convention is evaluated in regular intervals.
The Convention bans the production and new uses of PCBs and requires Parties to eliminate the use of PCBs in equipment by 2025 and ensure the environmentally sound management of liquids containing PCBs and equipment contaminated with PCBs by 2028.
Against this background, the Nigerian government (as a party to the Stockholm Convention) through the Environmentally Sound Management and Disposal of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Project Management Unit, Federal Ministry of Environment with the support of the UNDP and GEF organized a 3-day Training Workshop on Safe and Effective Inventory of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and PCBs containing electrical equipment in power installations in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
The Workshop with attendance by cross-sectoral representatives and experts targeted twenty-two States of the Federation. The affected States are Imo, Ebonyi, Cross Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa State, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun.
Declaring the Workshop open, the Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Charles Ikeah noted that in spite of their historical beneficial applications, scientific evidences have associated PCBs with deleterious impacts on environmental and human wellbeing, due to their toxicity, persistence and tendency to bio-accumulate, biomagnify and be transported through air – by evaporating and re-condensing, via the so-called “global distillation”. Ikeah said the globalised environmental and threats of PCBs have attracted the international control actions, as enunciated under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in 2001, to which Nigeria is a Party.
“In line with her conventional obligations and advancement of her previous interventions, Nigeria, through Federal Ministry of Environment, is implementing the Environmentally Sound Management and Disposal of PCBs Project, with supports of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme. The project is intended to strengthen the national capacity to holistically manage, monitor, control and ultimately phase out the use of PCB in the power sector, as well as help Nigeria fulfil her obligations under the Convention.
The Director said the country is committed to the establishment of a sustainable PCBs management system in Nigeria.
“However, as a pre-requisite for actualising this aspiration, an inventory is to be conducted to quantify, locate and keep records of the PCBs-containing dielectric fluids, electrical equipment and the materials prone to contain or be contaminated with PCBs, in power installations across twenty-two States of the Federation, which were not covered during inventory activities, conducted in 2014.
“In line with its thrust for completeness, reliability and inclusiveness in the assessment of PCBs situation in our country, the project has constituted a gender-inclusive team, comprising nominated core sectorial representatives, in order to ensure full ownership and inclusive stakeholders’ participation. These are to be trained on Safe and effective Inventory of PCBs and PCBs containing Electrical equipment in Power Installations, following which they will be deployed to work on the field with Inventory consultants.
Deputy Director, Sewage and Air Emissions, Federal Ministry of Environment, Alhaji Idi Mohammed said PCBs are transmitted in the air, hence the international concern.
“PCBs is an international issue that the world is trying to get rid of.”
The Acting Project Coordinator, Environmentally Sound Management and Disposal of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Project Management Unit, Mr. Yunuss Abdul-Ganiyu, said the target is to implement five components of the project.
The targets are Capacity building and training on PCBs; Conduct Inventory of PCBs in 22 states that were not covered in initial Inventory; Set up centres where the PCBs containing equipment discovered under the Inventory will be treated or disposed of; Put in place right technologies for the sound management of PCB and PCB equipment; and Monitoring and evaluation to ensure project moves as expected.
He said Nigeria currently has a Regulation in place to check influx of PCBs into the country.
Abdul-Ganiyu said there is also guideline to ensure PCBs are well managed.
