By Edeniyere Abraham Osose
The Edo State Government has ordered the arrest of persons violating environmental laws by dumping refuse indiscriminately in public places across the State.
The order, according to the government, will help check the menace of indiscriminate dumping of refuse in some parts of the State, warning that there will be no hiding place for offenders.
The Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Engr. Jonathan Lawani, gave the order at Upper Mission Extension/ Aduwawa area of Benin City, when he led other senior officials of the Ministry on an enforcement mission to the area.
Addressing journalists during the exercise, Lawani said that residents should desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in public places such as markets, medians, walkways and other locations as it poses threat to human health.
He urged them to support the efforts of the State Government in keeping the City clean by clearing, sweeping and bagging their dirt properly for evacuation by the waste managers in their various zones.
He asked the residents to report waste managers who are not giving them the services they paid for to the local government councils.
According to the Commissioner, “we have commenced the clearing and cleaning of public places hence the people should cooperate with the government by doing their bit so that the State will be clean enough to attract investors that will add value to the economy of the State.”
He also added that anyone caught dumping waste indiscriminately will not be spared, stressing that the enforcement team will continue to move around the City to monitor the level of compliance.
Lawani, therefore, appealed to Edo people to imbibe the habit of cleanliness, which he said is next to godliness, and urged them “to complement the efforts of the State and local governments to have the clean Edo of our dream.”
However, he warned that going forward; residents without evidence of registration with the accredited waste managers or those without waste bins in their houses would be arrested and prosecuted for violating environmental sanitation laws.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner ordered that the arrested victims be taken to court for prosecution according to environmental laws.
