Nigeria Content Online

A coalition of environmental nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) have expressed their concern on how corporate
bodies have continued to increase the mountainous load of used and
end-of-life mobile phones all in name of an aggressive promotion. This
concern was addressed at a strategic tripartite meeting of NGOs working
on e-waste organised by the Sustainable Research and Action for
Environmental Development (SRADev) Nigeria who came together to
brainstorm on best environmental practices with regards to
environmentally sound management of e-waste.

The meeting also aimed at addressing the dismally
lacking national regulation on e-waste and to apply pressure on the
government over their failure to address contamination in electronic
products and the delay in passing into law the National Electrical and
Electronic Sector Regulation.

“In Nigeria, we advocate for the Individual or
Corporate Producer Responsibility which is becoming the practice world
over,” said Leslie Adogame, Executive Director, SRADev Nigeria.

“This means that producers must become responsible for the collection and the recycling of their branded products.

“If producers have to pay for the recycling of
their own products, the incentive to produce products that are less
toxics, have a longer life-span, and are easier to recycle will
increase, because this will reduce their recycling costs.”

There are overwhelming evidence that e-waste
contributes to adverse health effects such as cancer, neurological,
respiratory disorders and birth defects; according to the groups, and
also on the environment unless they are managed soundly. The concerned
NGOs are SRADev Nigeria, Friends of the Environment, Waste Management
Association of Nigeria, and the Environmental Rights Action.