From Idu Jude, Abuja
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has intensified its crackdown on environmental offenders, sealing off the popular Ibiza Night Club, De Hive Night Club, and thirteen other facilities in Abuja for breaching national environmental laws.
Director General of NESREA, Professor Innocent Barikor, who led the enforcement exercise on Wednesday, issued a strong warning to defaulting facilities, vowing that the agency would not waver in its duty to uphold environmental integrity across the country.
“We will continue to monitor the activities of facilities closely and will not fail to take appropriate actions against any entity that disregards environmental regulations,” he said.
Speaking to journalists, Barikor explained that the enforcement followed a series of public complaints against Ibiza Nite Club and De Hive Night Club, where investigations revealed that the facilities were operating above the permissible noise limits in contravention of the National Environmental (Noise Standards and Control) Regulations, 2009.
“The Agency issued three notices of compliance concerns to the facilities, detailing specific infractions and mandating immediate corrective actions to mitigate noise pollution. They refused to abide by the National Environmental Regulations in their operations. To protect the residents, the facilities were sealed to enforce compliance,” he said.
The agency also moved against Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited following public outcry over its incessant and indiscriminate blasting operations. NESREA’s investigation uncovered multiple violations, including excessive ground vibration, airborne rock fragments, and dangerously high levels of noise and air pollution, all in breach of the National Environmental (Quarrying and Blasting Operations) Regulations, 2013. “The Charge Loading Density (CLD) of explosives used by the facility was 4 metric tonnes—well above the 3 metric tonnes per blast prescribed in the National Environmental Regulations,” Barikor revealed.
“The depth of the blasting holes, measured at 14 metres, also exceeded the allowable 8 to 10 metres for commercial blasting.”
He further disclosed that the blasting pit itself reached 17 metres, significantly surpassing the 3 metres permitted for operations involving rock masses beneath the surface.
In addition to these infractions, eleven other facilities across Abuja were sanctioned for operating without essential environmental documentation, including Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Audit Reports, as required by the National Environment (Construction Sector) Regulations, 2011. These included real estate, construction, and residential development sites operating in clear violation of environmental compliance obligations.
Barikor maintained that NESREA’s mission is to protect public health and the environment by ensuring that businesses, regardless of their sector, conform to national environmental standards. “We will not back down. The environment must be respected, and the law must be upheld,” he declared.
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