The Centre for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has estimated that if Nigeria complies with the United Nations Convention to eliminate mercury from products and processes, the country could save over $2.47 billion in fluorescent lighting phase-out by 2025.
The organization’s Senior Manager, Climate, Colin Taylor, made this projection at an inception workshop with the ‘Minimum Energy Performance (MEPS) and Labeling for Lighting in Nigeria’ organized by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in partnership with Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADEV) Nigeria in Lagos.
According to him, the Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) sales to be avoided and phased-out in 2024 (cumulative, 2024-2050) would be 10,306,161 lamps.
Taylor, while speaking on the potential benefits of MEPS for lighting in the country, noted that the Linear Fluorescent Lamp (LFL) sales avoided and to be phased-out in 2025 was estimated at 31,106,907 lamps, while the total mercury (kilogramme) in fluorescent lamp avoided (CFL and LFL phased out, cumulative 2024-2050) also stood at 300 kilogrammes.
He maintained that the rapid development, improved accessibility and affordability of mercury-free Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting made some mercury-containing fluorescent lighting exemption unnecessary.
In his address at the event, the Director General of the SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, commended the efforts of CLASP in the areas of standards and manpower development designed to sustain a clean and efficient energy compliant to the environment.
Salim, who was represented by the Group Head/Head, Electrical and Electronics Laboratory, Alewu Achema, said the series of meetings would provide approvable consensus document that will qualify for an MEPS on lighting.
He explained: “It will be an instrument that will guide the phasing out all products identified to contain environmentally dangerous materials. It will also set the pace to accept complying products, reject and phase out all others not complying with the requirement of the standard ozone depleting materials.
“MEPS for lighting will help and play crucial roles in reducing energy consumption, as it sets the benchmark for the energy efficiency of lighting products and drive the market towards more sustainable solutions.
“MEPS for lighting plays a critical role in promoting energy efficiency and sustainability in the industry, and it’s directly related to mitigating the effects of climate change,” Salim added.
A Market Report Case Study for Lighting in Nigeria conducted by the Executive Director, SRADEV Nigeria, Dr. Leslie Adogame, indicated that CFL, which contains mercury, is still in high demand in the Nigerian market as 7,457,254 kg (at cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value of N3, 499,419,973.00) was recorded by customs in a five years period, while Nigerian Bureau of Statistics recorded 15,708,249.64 kg (at a customs value of N6, 753,342,394.00) within a six-year period.
The UN Convention, known as Minamata Convention on Mercury, is a global agreement on environment and health adopted in Geneva Switzerland in 2013
