LAGOS – Mr Adebola Shabi, General Manager, Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), on Tuesday disclosed the government’s plan to send a bill on e-waste reduction to the State House of Assembly.
Shabi made the disclosure in Lagos at a one-day seminar on e-waste management organised by the Consulate of Germany and the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria.
The theme of the seminar is “Diversification In Waste Management Sector — Business Opportunities in e-waste”.
“Presently about 50 percent of Lagos residents are using second hand refrigerators and other imported second hand products.
“And we have through our investigations discovered that contact with and use of these end-of-life products poses danger to people’s health and the environment.
“The Lagos State Government is soon to send a bill on e-waste management and reduction,’’ he said.
The general manager expressed worry over the heaps of such products that had adorned some parts of the state.
He expressed optimism that the bill when eventually passed into law would reinforce the operation of his agency in monitoring and enforcement of e-waste management and reduction standards in the state.
Shabi also urged the federal, states and local governments to urgently come up with legislations for efficient management of end-of-life products in their communities.
“We believe that there should be a legal framework to regulate the importation, marketing and management of these e-wastes into Lagos and Nigerian markets.
“Already a lot of people in the state are dying without knowing due to their exposure to these e-wastes.
“A 6-year-old boy was recently discovered to have cancer due to the effect of e-waste in his environment,’’ he said.
Mr George Richards, Co-Founder of Green Cycle Resources Waste Management Ltd, an NGO, also said that it was imperative for issues of e-waste management to be taken seriously in Lagos State.
According to him, Nigeria is currently the largest producer of e-waste in Africa.
“If we have an ambition to develop Lagos into a mega city that will attract skills and investment from across the globe, it must be made a desirable place.
“Efficient e-waste management, therefore, will have a very important role to play in achieving this,’’ he said. (NAN)