24th September, 2012
The Lagos State Government is to begin compulsory emission test on all vehicles in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria to ascertain their emission rate in order to curb high rate of air pollution.
A bill has been passed by the House of Assembly to empower the state government to carry out emission test on all vehicles plying Lagos roads.
General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Engr. Rasheed Shabi disclosed this at the weekend, saying that government was determined to check the emission rate of vehicles in the state to ensure that only roadworthy vehicles were allowed to ply roads in the metropolis. According to Shabi, 120 centres had been designated across the old 20 Local Governments where vehicle owners could go to have the emission rate of their vehicles tested compulsorily.
He disclosed that Governor Babatunde Fashola in the next few weeks would sign the bill into law to pave way for enforcement by the government.
Shabi stated that when the bill is signed into law, the government would give sometime to enlighten Lagosians who owned vehicles on the need to ensure that the emission rate of their vehicles were reduced to the barest minimum.
He added that vehicles owners would have to produce emission test certificates before being allowed to renew their vehicle documents, saying that vehicles with high emission rate would be allowed to refit the engine of their vehicles.
He lamented that 26 percent of emission rate in Lagos was being generated by vehicles, with many having high emission rate.
Shabi said LASEPA was carrying out the emission test on vehicles in conjunction with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, saying that government was sure that air pollution would reduce in the state with controlled emission rate of vehicles.
The LASEPA boss, who also spoke on the danger of e-waste, also called on Lagosians to be cautious of the inherent danger, saying that “the way you dispose solid waste is different from the way you dispose e-waste. A television set contains lots of chemicals that could be dangerous to health.
“We had an e-waste summit last year and we are going to have one this year. Nigeria is a signatory to the Basel Convention on hazardous waste. E-waste is killing lots of people gradually.”
—Kazeem Ugbodaga