The Federal Government declared its intention to create an environmental task force to address oil pollution on Monday.
The government declared that going forward, it will hold International Oil Companies (IOCs) responsible for environmental contamination.
Speaking at the 12th Regulatory Dialogue hosted by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency was Minister of the Environment Mohammed Abdullahi (NESREA).
The key, according to Abdullahi, was to close the gaps and create a strong regulatory system that could handle problems.
The minister said the government was aware of the state of environmental degradation in Nigeria and was making efforts to address the situation.
“The federal government will henceforth hold the international oil companies accountable for the massive pollution of our environment and its ecosystem.”
The environmental task force will monitor, track, evaluate and sanction erring companies and their local collaborators.
Abdullahi said that the government will apply “the principles of the polluters pays” to help in remediation efforts of polluted communities.
He confirmed that NESREA had developed 35 national environmental regulations across different sectors of the economy.