By Edeniyere Abraham Osose
The Edo State Government through its Waste Management Board, has reached out to some streets and some markets in Benin City to engage and sensitize residents on the importance of adopting proper waste management practices in commemoration of the National Environmental Sanitation Day.
Speaking on the theme, “In the Era of Climate Change, Go Green, Stay Clean; Climate Change is Real”,during the exercise, the General Manager of the Edo State Waste Management Board, Mrs. Rita Idehai, emphasized the necessity of proper waste management initiatives and policies that can distinguish Edo State from others states in Nigeria. She urged residents to register with government accredited waste managers in their zones, to avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and to cultivate the habit of properly bagging waste.
In her words, “Bag your waste properly, engage the appropriate waste managers that have been licensed by the Waste Board, do not put waste on the median, do not put waste in the drainages. As the new GM on board, it is not going to be business as usual, where this kind of thing happens and just let go. Already, you can see our streets are now cleaner because we have done a lot of reforms around our sweepers, around evacuators, around waste management in general.
“There is a lot that is happening. I did not say that would happen, but it is happening already. We want everybody in the State and everybody in the City to be a part of the process; to be a part of the project to clean Edo and to ensure that Edo is not only clean but also green and the cleanest State in Nigeria.”
Mrs. Idehai stressed the need for residents to desist from putting waste on the median or unauthorized places, as strict enforcement is in full operation. She warned, “As from next week, if you put waste on the median, you will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”
Lending his voice, the Head of the Commercial Department, Mr. Martin Akhigbe, emphasized, “Our environment is the reflection of what we are, and keeping our environment clean is a collective responsibility. All of us need to put our hands on deck, join the Waste Management Board, patronize our accredited waste managers, make sure we pay for our bills, and I am sure if we all put our hands together to keep our environment clean, Edo State will be the cleanest city in Nigeria, possibly the world at large.”
Mr. Akhigbe also addressed some concerns regarding the inefficiency of some waste managers. He urged residents to report any manager who is not performing adequately to the Board, which according to him, has mechanisms in place to monitor and address such issues in order to ensure that services are rendered appropriately.
