Nigeria approves ratification, domestication of Minamata Convention

The Federal Executive Council of Nigeria on Wednesday April 12, 2017 approved the ratification and domestication of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The Federal Ministry of Environment on its official twitter account @FMEevng tweeted Wednesday evening “FEC has approved the ratification and domestication of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in line with article 31 of the Convention.”

The Minister of State for the Ministry, Mr. Ibrahim Jibril stated that Nigeria signed Article 31 of the Minamata Convention of October 10, 2013 in Kumamoto, Japan.

Jibril explained that the ratification of the Convention is to protect human and the environment from anthropogenic emissions.

As at April 12, 2017 forty-two countries have ratified the Convention that will enter into force once 50 countries out of the 128 that signed the Convention ratified it.

With this development, Nigeria is most likely to be part of the 50 countries that signed and ratified the Convention before it becomes legally binding.

The Minamata Convention adopted by the global community in Japan in 2013 aims to protect human and the environment from the effect of mercury or its compounds.

The first Conference of Parties to the Convention has been slated for the 23-29 September in Geneva, Swizerland.