The environment sanitation exercise and the clearance of water channels of Governor Aregbesola led administration in the State of Osun has been described as a step in right direction.
A cross section of people who spoke to Bioreports in Osogbo, the State Capital, Ilesa, and Ikirun on Tuesday March 25, 2014, commended Governor Aregbesola for carrying out clearance of water channels and other environmental sanitation exercises, saying it’s worthy of praise and commendation.
They said for the proactive measure taken by the government, the state had wore attractive look as there were always adequate provision of necessary tools to make the sanitation exercise yield a positive result across the state.
Mrs Ayisat Olayiwola, a resident of Ilesa said dumping of refuse anyhow has become a thing of the past as environmental agency saddled with the responsibility is doing a good job.
Acknowledging the effort of the government in making sure that the state becomes haven of cleanliness said proper packaging of refuse into sacks had made the ancient city of Ilesa a model compare to littering nature of refuse witnessing in other states.
Olayiwola who is residing at Ayeso Street said though there are some people who sabotage government’s efforts at ensuring that the people of the state live in ill-free environment, still the initiative of the present administration had made it compulsory to every resident to clean his environment regularly especially as it is done weekly and monthly.
She warned other resident of the town to desist from the habit of dumping refuse at the center of the roads and other prohibited area, saying it is their responsibility to complement government’s efforts at ensuring clean and tidy environment and not to sabotage it.
Similarly, a trader at the roundabout, a popular place in Ilesa, Mrs Mary Gbolagade commended governor Aregbesola for introducing the regular environmental exercise in the state saying the concept was to make people healthy and, by implication, prolong their life-span.
Gbolagade who said no government had ever taken the tidiness of environment serious since the creation of the state like the present administration and raised concern over what she described as misuse of waste disposal bins by some residents.
“The present government through the Ministry of Environment is trying its possible best to ensure that the people of the state enjoins cleaner environment but it is quit unfortunate that some people do not have proper orientation about waste disposal”. She added.
“I was at a place which I may not like to mention, the waste management agency saddle with the responsibility already packed the refuse at a point heading to another point but immediately they left, those residents who could not meet up earlier, thereafter dumped their waste on the ground without even bothered about their action which is actually sabotage”. Gbalagade narrated her experiences.
She explained that, in spite of all what the government has put in place to ease waste disposal, this attitude hinders the conduct of environmental sanitation in the state.
In his own view, Mr Ojo Olawumi, whose his residence is located beside popular Osun stream in Osogbo eulogized Aregbesola for taking proactive step to avert a repeat of the July 7, 2010 unfortunate incident that led to the death of many people and destruction of properties worth millions of Naira.
Olawumi said apart from the channelization of Osun, Olonkoro, Gbonmi and Alekunwodo Streams, Aregbesola had deemed it fit to ensure that the residents of Osun live in a clean and tidy environment through regular environmental sanitation exercise across the state.
He noted that with this gesture, there has been no flooding in Osogbo and its environs for the past three years.
Olawumi therefor appealed to the government not relent in its effort to ensure that the water ways should be widened; because they may be no longer contain the volume of water that would be passing through them as the raining season is approaching.
Alhaja kudirat Abubakri of number 18 Adejumo Street in Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, gave kudos to Aregbesola for giving priority to the healthy living of the people of the state by committing huge amount of money on the provision of all necessary tools needed for the sanitation and the drainage of the gutters as well as clearing of water ways out of the meager resources of the state, saying all these have eradicated the incident of cholera and other disease caused by environment untidiness as being experience before in the state.
Abubakir added that the government really organizes the environmental sanitation exercise perfectly, as there is adequate provision of waste disposal bins, O ‘clean marshal who is among their duties was to ensure adequate participation of the people in the environmental sanitation exercise and to cleanness of the state.
She said government should do more in the area of implanting environment consciousness in the people through campaign and advocacy.
BIOREPORTS
Chairman of a faction of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, and the governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuke Amaechi, yesterday, said adequate school feeding programe such as that practised in Osun State was key to better education of the Nigerian child.
