NADDC, UNEP to adopt ECOWAS standard on fuel

By Franca Ochigbo, AbujaThe National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), in partnership with United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP), is to adopt the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) standards on fuel and emission to improve air quality and lower economic cost in the health sector.NADDC Director-General, Jelani Aliyu, lamented that emission standard in the country is not being implemented as emission testing is not carried out on most vehicles which is the reason for the rise in health challenges.He spoke in Abuja during a workshop on strategy for adopting ECOWAS standards on fuel and emission in Nigeria, and stated that the 2011 emission standard set up by National Environmental Regulatory Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) should be implemented.He added that the ECOWAS emission standards are considered higher with the Nigerian standards and should be looked into. It is in view of this goal. he said, the UNEP is supporting the workshop to ensure the necessary synergy in adopting and implementing the standards.According to him, improving air quality will lead to lower economic cost for the health sector and increased competitiveness of cities. With the assistance from United Nations Environment (UNE) in 2016, Nigeria took a major step at improving its air quality with focus on lowering the sulphur concentration in its fuels particularly diesel which is responsible for particulate matter emissions.In April 2017, Nigeria adopted new fuel standards of 150ppm and 50ppm sulphur concentrations for gasoline and diesel respectively. The UNEP funded a study on clean fuels roadmap for Nigeria via refinery upgrade options. This study has been completed and the final outcomes shall be presented here today.
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