The governments of Enugu and Imo states are imposing fines on residents who use alternative energy sources to power their power plants. The reasons cited are “environmental unfriendly activities” and “carbon emission.”
According to the Enugu government and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, alternative energy sources other than those produced by the national power company violate several provisions of the environmental law and are subject to fines.
“You are hereby notified of your contravention of the law, particularly, Sections 124, 125, 126, 127, and 128 by your environmental unfriendly activities which include the use of alternative power supply (Lutec) in your facility which contributes to carbon emission in the environment,” the ministry said in a notice to Enugu residents on August 28.
It added, “Consequently, notice is given to you within 7 days to comply with the state ministry of environment and climate change, Enugu, and in addition, pay the contravention fine of N88,000.”
Journalist investigations revealed that Lutec is a Chinese company engaged in solar energy and LED lighting.
The resident was instructed to deposit the money into an FCMB account (2004261655) belonging to Paskay Global Ventures.
The ministry threatened the resident with criminal prosecution if he did not pay the fine within the stipulated deadline.
In a similar document by the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (Imo ENTRACO), Nuneoha Bakery was fined N2 million for emitting toxic gases and nuisance substances, dumping waste and runoff, causing noise pollution, filling drains and roads with sand, stones and building materials blocked in unauthorized places.
The notice said the fine is a cumulative penalty for three years, specifically from 2022 to 2024.
“Imo ENTRACO hereby demands that you pay the sum of N2,000,000 within seven days of receiving this notice with the Imo state government treasury single account (IMGTSA) through the pay direct platform in any of the commercial banks,” dated August 15.
The notice contained an additional clause stating that the commission would take legal action if the bakery failed to comply with the request.
An official from Imo Entraco told Journalists that to verify the authenticity of the documents, violators would be asked to deposit the money into the Imo State Integrated Treasury Account (IMGTSA) as instructed to Nneoha Bakery.
In a country plagued by erratic power supply and where frequent breakdowns in the national grid have slowed economic growth, many people rely heavily on generators and solar power for basic and commercial activities.
