The Federal Government, through the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, (NESREA), says churches and mosques engaged in noise pollution can be prosecuted.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the Director-General of NESREA, Aliyu Jauro, said noise remains a major environmental pollutant that affects plants, animals and humans.
Jauro said the agency has received several complaints about noise pollution caused by churches, mosques and industries.
Once they are subjected to the noise, it leads to a lot of health problems ranging from hypertension and other diseases. So, as an agency, we have a specific regulation on noise control. What we do as an agency is that we go out to ensure compliance, he stated.
All these provisions are there in our regulations; there is a provision for fine first, when we receive a complaint we go there and look at the complaint.
Then, we go back and serve another compliance notice. We will do that about two times, the third one, we can take either the facility or individual to the court of law. But most of the time, we try to see that we resolve the matter amicably with those responsible, he further said.
Jauro urged Nigerians to ensure compliance with environmental laws, adding that the agency will ensure prosecution of any defaulter after previous warnings.
