| Written by Ebele Orakpo | |
| Monday, 17 November 2008 | |
| President Umaru Yar’Adua in the bid to improve electricity supply which is crucial to the realisation of Vision 20-2020, has reiterated the need for Nigeria to generate electricity from nuclear power plants.  Electricity plant The workshop which was held at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos was the 33rd public engagement the NNRA has organised over the past seven years for different operating organisations dealing with sources of ionizing radiation and nuclear materials in the country. A representative of the US Department of Energy (USDOE), Mark Hawk, in his goodwill message noted that Nigeria is the first country to hold a national workshop on security of radioactive sources in land and marine transport. He stated that USDOE and IAEA are pleased to work with countries in the area of training, pledging the readiness of the US Department of Energy and IAEA to support Nigeria in this area. |
Mr. Vincent Nkong-Njock, of the IAEA in his address said the workshop was very timely “in the wake of many events that happened worldwide in 2001 which prompted the IAEA and member-states alike to act swiftly by coordinating the response of the international community to the threats caused by illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials and it is also expected to foster a better understanding of the nature of the threats of potential malevolent use, on ways to diminish the likelihood of such threats occurring and on the necessary measures for preparedness and response in case they do actually occur.”
Declaring the workshop open, chairman of the occasion, the Commandant-General, National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. John Abolurin, represented by the Deputy Commandant-General, National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Sulleiman Bello said the objective of the workshop was to sensitise handlers, transporters, Clearing and Forwarding agents and users of radiation sources on ensuring safety and security during transportation in accordance with the provisions of the Act and other regulations made pursuant to it.
He noted that movement of nuclear material and radioactive sources of significance are now common place in Nigeria, stating that in 2003, “we moved fissile materials to the Research Reactor in Zaria. Furthermore, in 2006, we also moved more than 300,000 Ci of radioactive materials to the Gamma Irradiation Facility in Sheda. Additionally, many high-risk radioactive sources are transported around the country on a daily basis for various uses especially in the petroleum industry, which is the largest importer and user of radioactive materials in the country. Thus, the role of transporters will ever become more crucial.”
In his keynote address, the Director-General of NNRA, Prof. Shamsideen Elegba noted that “this national project will involve the transportation of nuclear fuel into the country and within the country by water, by rail and by road. Nigeria is already a party to all the international conventions and treaties dealing with safety and security of radioactive sources and nuclear materials. This is part of our preparation for a successful nuclear power project,” he said.
According to the organisers, “the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority has the statutory responsibility under the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 19 of 1995, for nuclear safety and radiological protection regulation. The NNRA is, therefore, empowered to categorise and license activities involving the handling and transportation of radioactive sources.
Our national experience since the inception of the agency has shown that radiological incidents and accidents, especially loss of control of radioactive sources, have occurred most frequently during transportation. This thus forms the weakest link in the chain of Import-Export-Use-Transport-Export of radioactive sources.”
source: www.vanguardngr.com
Declaring the workshop open, chairman of the occasion, the Commandant-General, National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. John Abolurin, represented by the Deputy Commandant-General, National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Sulleiman Bello said the objective of the workshop was to sensitise handlers, transporters, Clearing and Forwarding agents and users of radiation sources on ensuring safety and security during transportation in accordance with the provisions of the Act and other regulations made pursuant to it.
He noted that movement of nuclear material and radioactive sources of significance are now common place in Nigeria, stating that in 2003, “we moved fissile materials to the Research Reactor in Zaria. Furthermore, in 2006, we also moved more than 300,000 Ci of radioactive materials to the Gamma Irradiation Facility in Sheda. Additionally, many high-risk radioactive sources are transported around the country on a daily basis for various uses especially in the petroleum industry, which is the largest importer and user of radioactive materials in the country. Thus, the role of transporters will ever become more crucial.”
In his keynote address, the Director-General of NNRA, Prof. Shamsideen Elegba noted that “this national project will involve the transportation of nuclear fuel into the country and within the country by water, by rail and by road. Nigeria is already a party to all the international conventions and treaties dealing with safety and security of radioactive sources and nuclear materials. This is part of our preparation for a successful nuclear power project,” he said.
According to the organisers, “the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority has the statutory responsibility under the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 19 of 1995, for nuclear safety and radiological protection regulation. The NNRA is, therefore, empowered to categorise and license activities involving the handling and transportation of radioactive sources.
Our national experience since the inception of the agency has shown that radiological incidents and accidents, especially loss of control of radioactive sources, have occurred most frequently during transportation. This thus forms the weakest link in the chain of Import-Export-Use-Transport-Export of radioactive sources.”
source: www.vanguardngr.com
