The Federal Government has declared that it will, from January 1, 2023, ban all substances that are not ozone-friendly in accordance with the Montreal Protocol Agreement to which Nigeria is a signatory. These substances include used refrigerators, air conditioners, generators, water dispensers, and photocopiers.
Speaking with newsmen at a stakeholders’ workshop on the validation of the Draft National Cooling Plan in Abuja, Programme Manager, Environment Unit of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Oladipo Supo, said Nigeria has delayed in implementing the agreement because it has failed to get alternatives to ozone-friendly substances.
“Under the Montreal Protocol Agreement, some of these ozone-depleting substances are actually eliminated and barred from being used. We started with HCFCs and now we will replace them with HFCs, which is where we are today.
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“Nigeria has committed itself because it is part of the signatory. We are looking at January 1, 2023, when some of the substances will no longer be allowed into the country. Before then, the Federal Ministry of Environment will try to ensure that the alternatives are available because we cannot ban something when we don’t have alternatives.
“In the refrigerating sector, we only have technicians. The people who actually use them are technicians on the streets. You remember that some time ago, some air conditioners blew up in Ogun State. It was because of all the contaminated things and recycled ACs that are not supposed to be in circulation,” he said.
