The Federal Government has called on the construction industry and mining companies to adopt circular economy strategies to reduce its environmental impacts.
The Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal stated this on Friday at a workshop on Mainstreaming Circular Economy in Land Degradation Sectors of Construction, Mining and Quarrying in Abuja.
The workshop was organised by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in collaboration with the European Union (EU).
Lawal said that the circular economy provided the framework for the balance between development and environmental sustainability.
“Unregulated mining pits, exhausted quarry sites, deforestation and polluted environments are clear signs of the imbalance between development and environmental sustainability.
“Our landscapes, ecosystems and communities bear the brunt of unchecked extraction, resource depletion and unsustainable development due to construction, mining and quarrying.
“We must prioritise land rehabilitation in mining and quarrying operations.
”Mining and quarrying companies must adopt zero-waste policies, ensuring that mining by-products such as tailings and waste rocks are repurposed for other industrial uses or construction projects,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director–General of NESREA, Dr Innocent Barikor said circular economy offers a transformative framework to ensure resource conservation and regeneration, waste-to-resource systems and sustainable urbanisation.
Barikor called for the collaboration of all stakeholders to ensure the adoption and promotion of sustainable practices.
” This will speed up the restoration of our land, regeneration of our ecosystems and protection of our environment for future generations,” he said.
Sen. Akintude Yunus, Chairman, the Senate Committee on Environment, pledged the support of the National Assembly towards providing the necessary legislative backing for environmental protection in the country.
NAN
