Group picture during the official unveiling of the Environmental Audit Guidelines and Manual, by the Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor at the Capacity Building Workshop for NESREA Consultants and Staff on Environmental Audit Reporting in Abuja.
BY AKUDORO GLORIA
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Nigeria has unveiled its latest Environmental Audit Guidelines and Manual to shape performance across sectors in line with global standards.
Speaking at a one-day capacity building workshop for NESREA Accredited Consultants and Staff on Environmental Audit Reporting organized in partnership with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in India, the Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor observed that the audit reports received from consultants comes in different formats and lacks important information, which in some cases they do not reflect the actual status of the process of the operating facility.
He also noted that the reports do not adequately cover the information included in the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) developed during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); adding that it is intended to streamline the processes associated with undertaking and review of the environmental audits.
“As we are aware, high-quality audit reporting is a foundation to environmental compliance and enforcement. Our reports are key instruments that guide policy, inform industry standards and ultimately shape environmental performance across sectors.
“This workshop is sure to emphasize best practices for reporting, including enhanced environmental data interpretation, effective visualization and clear communication of findings and recommendations. This goal is to produce audit reports that are actionable and technically robust, providing clear guidance for industries and facilities to improve their environmental management practices,” he emphasized.
While highlighting the significance of the workshop, Dr. Barikor explained that the engagement focuses on two important aspects of environmental auditing which are: International Best Practices and Current Realities in Environmental Auditing; and Enhanced Audit Reporting for Regulatory and Strategic Impact.
Going forward, the Director General assured that the Agency will be verifying the parameters in the Audit Report submitted by consultants and will also take a decisive action against any consultant that engages in falsification, fabrication and plagiarism.
“It will be important to let you know that the Agency is carefully monitoring the activities of the state field offices to ensure that staff do not obstruct or interfere with the work of NESREA Accredited Consultants.
“As NESREA staff and accredited consultants, you are on the frontlines of environmental compliance, you play a critical role in safeguarding Nigeria’s natural resources and public health. This training will enhance your capacity to enforce compliance, identify areas for environmental improvement and contribute valuable insights to our ongoing environmental strategy,” he said.
In her remarks, Ishita Garg of CSE who highlighted some loophole in the approach, stressing that most of the audit reports had enough of qualitative information but lacked in basic quantitative data like the production capacity, energy and water consumption, quantity of wastewater and solid waste generated.
She pointed out the reports also have only one-year data which makes it difficult to compare the performance of the industry with the previous years. She added that in the absence of sufficient data, the whole audit process becomes ineffective.