Halima Tayo Alao, Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, said elements such as mercury, lead and cadmium which are found in electronic waste are presenting a huge treat to environmental sustainability.

Alao's ministry have in the past received many alleged reports of the dumping of discarded electronic equipment by shady foreign companies.

A report by the non-governmental organisation Basel found that 500 containers of used electrical equipment enters Nigeria every month, with this volume containing around 400 000 used computers.

The minster said the government's plans to increase the use of computers among Nigerians will create a massive amount of electronic waste that will need to be managed effectively