458
By Lizzy Chirkpi
The House of Representatives has appointed Hon. Terseer Ugbor as Chairman of the newly established Ad-hoc Committee on the Ban of Single-Use Plastics in Nigeria.
The committee was constituted by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, as part of the legislative chamber’s renewed commitment to tackle plastic pollution and promote environmental sustainability.
The Committee’s mandate includes assessing the preparedness, coordination, and roles of relevant federal agencies in enforcing the planned ban on single-use plastics across the country. It will also engage key private sector stakeholders to evaluate their readiness to phase out single-use plastics from their operations.
“This bold initiative to ban single-use plastics is a significant stride towards combating plastic pollution in Nigeria. Ranks as the ninth-largest contributor to plastic pollution globally, generating approximately 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Alarmingly, over 70% of this waste is discarded into landfills, waterways, or the ocean, posing hazards to both the environment and public health.”
Hon. Ugbor, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, is expected to drive the committee’s work with deep expertise and a history of legislative commitment to environmental protection.
A strong advocate for environmental reforms, the Benue lawmaker has sponsored several key legislative bills, including the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, which has already passed in the House of Representatives, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (Amendment) Bill. He is also responsible for the development of the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations, among others.
He previously chaired the Ad-hoc Committee on Student Loans and Access to Higher Education, where he organized the first legislative summit on student loans in the National Assembly and proposed major amendments to the Student Loans Bill, which was eventually passed into law.
A consultant on sustainable development, environmental management, resource recovery, and recycling, the federal lawmaker s expected to bring technical depth and vision to the committee’s work.
His appointment is viewed as a strategic move to ensure Nigeria’s transition toward environmentally responsible policies and practices.