Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia
The Abia State environmental sanitation and Protection agency (ASEPA) has kicked off sensitization campaign against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the state capital and it’s environs.
Speaking during the flag off of the campaign on Tuesday the deputy general manager ASEPA umuahia zone Mr Ambrose Johna, said the campingn was inline with resolve of Governor Alex Otti’s led administration to make the state one of the neat state in Nigeria.
He revealed that the state had embarked on a massive desilting of drainages across the capital, adding that the sensitization was necessary to make the residents of the city play their own party in maintaining the clean environment in the state.
Johna, urged the residents of Umuahia to dispose of their refuse between 5:PM and 6 AM and desist from sending their under age children to the dumping sites.
He said, “Today marks the beginning of a six days public sensitization against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the capital.
We actually want to make Abia State one of the best as regards to cleaniness. We are just trying to let the people know that it’s no longer business as usual again.
“We need to sensitize the residents on the need to keeping the state capital clean. We had embarked on the desilting of all gutters in Umuahia the state capital and we want to sustain the free flow of water in the drains during this year’s rainy reason by ensuring the drains are not blocked by refuse again.
“That is one of the reasons we have to let the people know that they should help the government of Abia State Governor Alex Otti and to achieve this objective.
“We have told them to play their own part, because it’s a partnership. They will do their own part and we will do our own part. We told them that dumping of refuse will start by 5pm and end on 6am in the morning. They don’t need to be sending minors to the dump site. We also begged them to help us by delisting the gutters in front of their houses and keep them clean generally.
“Another one which is very important is the road users. We are trying to provide waste bins for public transport operators. People shouldn’t eat anything and drop it on the road, but it should be inside the bins in the tricycle, taxis or buses
“We also have a monitoring team that works together with the central tasks force in the state. Whoever that’s caught disobeying our directives we face the law.
“I advise the masses to help Gov. Otti and ASEPA to keep the state clean and also get their Abia State Social identification number (ABSSIN).
“Every Resident of the State is expected to have that number. It’s what will help them to pay whatever they need to pay so that it will go straight to the government purse.
We have set up a revenue tram to liaise with the Board of Internal Revenue to work out ASEPA
revenue to be paid by residents next week”.