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RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF EDUCATION WASHDC
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000173 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID FOR NFREEMAN, GBERTOLIN 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS 
DOC FOR 3310/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS 
DOC FOR USPTO-PAUL SALMON 
DOJ FOR MARIE-FLORE KOUAME 
TREASURY FOR RHALL, DPETERS 
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER 
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN, MSTUCKART, JEDWARDS 
STATE PASS TDA FOR LFITTS, PMARIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ECON ETTC ETRDPGOV NI
 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: NO SYSTEMS IN PLACE FOR COPING WITH E-WASTE 
 
Ref A: 08Abuja 2143 B: 08Lagos 461 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The March 7 edition of THISDAY, a widely read 
newspaper in Nigeria, reported that extensive trading in e-waste in 
Lagos is a source of revenue for growing numbers of the unemployed. 
It noted that there is inaccurate data on e-waste in Nigeria but 
that a Seattle based environmental organization estimated that 500 
shipping containers loaded with e-waste enter Nigeria each month 
through the Lagos port. Some government officials recognize the 
health problems generated by e-waste (used electronics such as 
televisions, computers etc.); the Director of the Lagos State Waste 
Management Authority pegged Nigeria's high cancer rate at least in 
part to the prevalence of e-waste. (Note: Post has reported on 
anecdotal evidence of rising cancer rates from oil spills in the 
Niger Delta, but can find no hard public health data to support the 
claim of rising cancer rates. End Note) As a signatory to the Basel 
Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and 
their Disposal, Nigeria is one of four countries slated to have a 
regional center to develop projects and methods to transfer 
technology to solve the e-waste problem, but no center has yet been 
established, the newspaper reported. Federal and state agencies say 
Nigeria lacks a legal framework with which to tackle the problem. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On March 7, 2009, THISDAY, a Lagos newspaper, published an 
article titled "Thriving on E-Waste". According to the paper, 
imported e-waste from the West and Asia, some of it rejected by 
other countries, is processed in Lagos markets. The article defined 
e-waste as used electronics intended for reuse, resale, recycling or 
disposal, including old computers, televisions, compact disc 
players, digital video disc, broken monitors, obsolete circuit 
boards, short-circuited transistors, mobile phone handsets and 
microwave ovens. Locally, this e-waste is called "tokunbo" or "used 
products coming from abroad" in the Yoruba language 
 
Source of Revenue for Unemployed 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) E-waste is a source of revenue for growing numbers of 
unemployed youths in Lagos. THISDAY quoted a trader as saying "With 
this business, I have trained my children and myself. I have two 
university graduates in my immediate family, funded with money made 
from the sale of these "tokunbo" products. I don't really understand 
why people are now crying foul over these items. Most of our rich 
people today had at one time or the other made use of these obsolete 
items. People should please let us be." 
No Accurate Data on E-waste 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) According to THISDAY, Nigeria has no accurate data on the 
amount of e-waste imported into the country nor has the government 
developed risk-management measures for its handling. The paper cited 
a report by Basel Action Network (BAN), a Seattle-based 
environmental group, which found that an estimated 500 containers, 
each containing on average 800 monitors or CPUs, the equivalent of 
400,000 second-hand computers or monitors, enter Lagos each month; 
about 75 per cent of these electronic products were considered junk. 
(Note: Post verified this information from the website (www.ban.org) 
report titled "The Digital Dump, Exporting Re-use and Abuse to 
Africa, 24 October 2005. End Note) 
 
Health and Environmental Problems from E-Waste 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (U) The article also quoted Nigerian environmentalists and 
medical practitioners about the serious health and environmental 
problems caused by exposure to the toxic chemicals in e-waste. The 
Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. 
Ola Oresanya was quoted as saying that e-waste in Lagos "is a time 
 
LAGOS 00000173  002 OF 002 
 
 
bomb. Most of the e-waste has metal, mercury and lead. They are very 
dangerous and they are carcinogenic. And cancer rate is so high in 
Nigeria today. This is traceable to some of this items imported into 
the country." (Comment: post has reported on anecdotal evidence of 
rising cancer rates from oil spills in the Niger Delta, but can find 
no hard public health data to support the claim of rising cancer 
rates. End comment). 
 
Nigeria is Basel Convention Signatory 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Nigeria signed the Basel Convention on the control of 
Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Waste March 15, 1990 and 
ratified it on March 13, 1991, the newspaper said. The Convention 
protects human health and the environment against the adverse 
effects resulting from the generation, management, trans-boundary 
movements and disposal of hazardous and other waste. According to 
the THISDAY article, the Basel Convention established four Regional 
Coordinating Centers to develop regional projects, and deliver 
training and technology transfer for the implementation of the 
convention. Nigeria has been identified as the location for one of 
the centers, but the government has not moved forward to establish 
it, the newspaper reported. The article urges the National Assembly, 
government agencies and environmental groups to establish the 
center. 
 
Agencies Lack Authority to Regulate E-waste 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) The Nigerian government has not yet passed a comprehensive 
law to regulate the importation and disposal of e-waste, the article 
pointed out. Therefore, federal agencies lack authority to regulate 
e-waste standards. The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) told 
THISDAY that it does not regulate the standards of used items. 
However, SON has established a surveillance unit to monitor harmful 
e-waste products, and is working with Customs and other government 
agencies to deal with the problem. The Nigerian Customs Service 
(NCS), however, told THISDAY that it has no regulatory powers to 
determine the standards of goods imported into the country. 
 
FG Seeks Solutions to E-waste 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) Though there is no legislation or effective policies to 
regulate the importation and disposal of e-waste, some agencies and 
ministries are calling on the federal government to seek solutions 
to e-waste in Nigeria. 
Custom's Public Relations Officer, Adewale Adeniyi, told THISDAY "I 
think there is need for the Federal Government to put in place a new 
policy to tackle this problem. The NCS is ready at all time to 
implement such policy to save our environment". According to PUNCH 
ON THE WEB, published on March 3, 2009, The Director General of the 
National Environmental Standards, Regulations Enforcement Agency, 
Dr. Ngeria Benebo, promised on February 23 that the agency would 
establish standards for such products entering the country. LAWMA 
Director Oresanya told THISDAY that Lagos State government should 
make use of the treaty to trace e-waste items in Lagos to the 
originating countries and to hold them responsible under the said 
treaty. In remarks to the newspaper, Minister of Environment John 
Odey, predicted major health crises in developing countries unless 
stringent measures are taken to stop dumping of toxic waste in their 
territories, but stopped short of saying what measures, if any, the 
Nigerian government would take. 
 
¶9. (U) This cable has been cleared with Embassy Abuja.