By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
The Kaduna State Chairman of the Nigerians Society of Engineers, Dr. Abudlrasheed Babalola has called on the relevant agencies and government to ensure that before any meaningful project or infrastructural development can be initiated, an environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted for human, animal and ecology safety.
He made the call in his speech after the paper presentation titled “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of A Surface Mining Project” at its Annual General Meeting of the Society in Kaduna on Monday.
Dr. Babalola was of the opinion that the EIA is to assess that both the human and animal around the areas that are been marked to carry out such project will not in any way affect the population living there or the ecology, adding that people carry out mining illegally irrespective of the impact to the environment.
“The topic is relevant to engineers because before any meaningful project or infrastructural development can be initiated, it is expected that an environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted.
“EIA” is to assess both the human and animal around the areas that are being marked to carry out such project, saying the EIA will be carry out to ensure that if that project is brought to such community or area will not in any way affect the population living there.
“That is why we want to call on the government to insist that before any project is awarded there should be environmental impact assessment of the area is carry out properly to be sure that we are not affecting the ecology of that area.
“We are talking about solid mining, as you may know, this country is blessed with solid mineral but you can see that people carry out mining illegally irrespective of the impact to the environment.
“That is why we have chooses this topic so that the law has to be enforced by the experts, mining engineers and the federal government before a visit is made to commence all the itemized procedures to carry out mining” he stressed.
The Chairman therefore suggested that an adequate environmental assessment done and documented while urging government to put in place a firm structure that would monitor companies in Nigeria to ensure that assessment is implemented in every project not only mining.
Dr. Babalola called on the government to as a matter of urgency ensure that the laws is implemented and that institutions should be put in place to ensure that all rules guiding the environmental impact assessment is carried out on a surface mining in Nigeria.
