By Samuel Ogude
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Asaba, Dr. Mrs Minie Oseji has reiterated Governor Sheriff Oborivwori’s resolve to ensure that Delta State remains the cleanest state in the country.
Mrs. Oseji made stated this in Warri on Saturday during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise she and her team monitored.
Her words:”The Governor has said that he wants Delta State to be clean and Warri must be part of that vision”.
According to her, they were in Warri to monitor and enforce compliance of this month’s monthly environmental sanitation and sensitize the people on the need to keep their environment clean at all times.
Mrs. Oseji who went around some of the markets in Warri, commended the efforts of the Warri South Local Government Area for job well done in this regard. She however lamented the attitude of market traders who dump their refuse into the drainage thereby frustrating the efforts of the contractors handling the storm drainage system in Warri.
Her word:”We have a lot of behavioral problems particularly, around the markets, where they dump waste indiscriminately and some of these waste get back in the drains and block the drains, no matter the efforts to clear them in this regard. We are aware that the private participants are not enough to cover the whole council and I understand the council has provided trucks to evacuate bagged waste from some areas and we commend them for that effort”.
She therefore warned Warri residents to participate in next month’s environmental sanitation adding that ,there would be full enforcement as there would be mobile courts to try offenders.
“Next month, we are going to intensify this and there will be mobile courts to arrest offenders. So, today is more of sensitization but we are going to continue to do this until Warri and Warri South Local Government Area is clean,” Mrs Oseji said.
On his part, the Secretary to the Warri South Local Government, Mr. Joseph Oribioye said, the council Chairman, Dr Michael Tidi, is keen on ensuring that the council remains one of the cleanest in the state.
He said, all hands have been on deck to ensure that there is total compliance and sensitization on the importance of keeping the environment clean.
His words:”The Warri South Council Chairman does not like dirt and it is his wish that Warri South remains the cleanest local government in Delta State. And he is going to do that with the co-operation of the people by the grace of God. We need maximum support from the people and our people need to change their attitude towards environmental sanitation in their area”.
“There is going to be a bye -law very soon that will mandate all transporters to have waste bins in their cars and busses. If you do not have a trash basket in your vehicle, you are going to be arrested. We should learn not to dump waste on the drainage. We should not wait until it is sanitation day before we clean our environment. It should be our culture because “cleanliness” as they say, is next to” godliness,” Oribioye said.