The acting Director-General, Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Dr. Martin Ogharandukun, has said NNRA is partnering the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies to mitigate threats of radioactive materials in the country.
Ogharandukun told journalists in Abuja that the NNRA had emplaced effective regulatory control measures through the safety and security of Radioactive Sources Regulations, 2006. He said the regulation covered import-export controls and also provided adequate requirements for the physical protection of radioactive sources which all licensees must comply with.
He said: “We implement this in close collaboration with the NCS and other security agencies. Also, the NNRA along with other national stakeholders have been carrying out Design Basis Threat analyses of radiological and nuclear facilities with a view to further enhance physical security.”
Ogharandukun said the agency had exercised its regulatory oversight of the nuclear sector in Nigeria since its inception in 2001.
He stated that with the advent of the Nuclear Power Programme, Nigeria had ratified some international treaties and conventions relevant to a successful NPP.
According to him, this necessitated further capacity development and the strengthening of legal and regulatory framework for NPP regulation.
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