Radioactive Waste Management Challenges: Nigerian Case Study

Abstract

Preceding the publication of the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 19 of 1995 (Act) by the Justice Ministry in 1995 (Justice, 1995) and the establishment of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) in 2001, radioactive sources had for decades been used for various practices in Nigeria (Ogharandukun, 2017). These early activities involving radioactive sources gave rise to some legacy radioactive waste. NNRA undertook some early actions soon after its inception to ensure the safe management of this legacy radioactive waste. These actions, amongst other outcomes, highlighted the inadequacies of the Nigerian radioactive waste management system. The approval of radiation safety and radioactive waste management regulations enabled the NNRA to enter into national and international cooperative efforts to search for, secure, and create a proper inventory of the radioactive waste in Nigeria and effectively handle and manage it. Implementing the waste management system further highlighted the need for the approval of a national policy on radioactive waste management and the management of disused radioactive sources.