Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, has condemned the Nigerian government’s attempt to import “non-hazardous” waste from the European Union, calling it a dangerous and ecocidal decision that threatens the health and environment of Nigerians.
The European Union recently confirmed that Nigeria and 23 others became the countries that met the Feb 21 deadline for inclusion in non-hazardous waste imports.
Reacting, HOMEF’s Executive Director, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, described the move as “a disgraceful ploy that exposes the government’s willingness to discount the wellbeing of citizens for a mess of porridge.”
“It is inconceivable that a nation with a life expectancy of about 56 years and a broken healthcare system would seek to import foreign waste when we can hardly manage our own domestic waste,” Bassey lamented.
HOMEF warned that even waste labeled “non-hazardous” often contains toxic elements such as heavy metals, posing serious environmental and health risks. The organization accused wealthy nations of commodifying waste and manipulating poorer countries into accepting hazardous materials under the guise of trade.
“The EU recorded €18.5 billion worth of waste exports in 2023, but what has been the impact on the recipient nations? The trade merchants will never answer that question,” HOMEF stated.
“The EU seem to align with the assertion of Lawrence Summers, World Bank Chief Economist in 1991, who wrote that Africa is hugely under polluted and that it makes economic sense to dump wastes here.
HOMEF recalled that Summers in his memo said, “Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank encourage more migration of the dirty industries to the Least Developed Countries? A given amount of health-impairing pollution should be done in the country with the lowest cost and the country with the lowest wages. I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable, and we should face up to that.”
The group also referenced the 1988 Koko toxic waste scandal in Delta State, where hazardous waste was deceptively labeled as fertilizer and dumped in Nigeria, causing severe environmental contamination. Similar cases, such as the Trafigura waste dumping incident in Côte d’Ivoire, further highlight the dangers of allowing foreign waste imports, HOMEF warned.
HOMEF called on the Nigerian government to reject the EU’s request to include Nigeria on the list of countries approved for waste export under the guise of waste recovery.
The group warned that this move would only reinforce a pattern of systemic legal waste colonialism, where Africa becomes a dumping ground for obsolete electronics, industrial waste, and toxic materials from nations such as China, the US, Spain, the UK, UAE, and Morocco.
“Nigeria is already struggling with oil spills, solid mineral pollution, plastic waste, and genetically modified food contamination. Adding imported waste to this crisis is not just ill-advised—it is a deliberate attack on public health and environmental sustainability,” HOMEF stated.
The organization urged Nigerians to resist any attempt to turn the country into a global waste bin, emphasizing that the government should focus on managing domestic waste, strengthening environmental policies, and safeguarding citizens’ health rather than indulging in reckless and hazardous trade agreements.
