Edo State Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Jonathan Lawani, has called on residents of the state to support the government to ensure a clean and healthy environment.
He made the call yesterday in Benin, during a meeting with leaders of the market women association.
Lawani decried the incessant dumping of refuse in unauthorised places, especially markets and median along market areas, declaring that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the state was kept clean, safe and healthy for all.
He noted that the meeting was to solicit the support of the traders in ensuring cleanliness in the state.
The commissioner said: “Women, as mothers of our homes and markets, play major roles in instilling discipline, especially on environmental sanitation, as part of home training.
“Let there be synergy between members of the association and Edo State Government. You should be environment ambassadors in your respective markets.”
Lawani also assured the traders of the government’s plans to build recycling plants that would not only recycle waste but would also aid in providing a means of livelihood for residents.
He revealed that at the end of each month, there would be an award for the cleanest market and its environs in the city, which according to him, would attract a handsome prize.
President of the association, Mrs Blacky Omoregie hailed the commissioner for the initiative, stressing that illegal dumping of refuse in market places was mostly carried out by residents who had formed the habit of bringing refuse from their homes and dumping them in market areas.
Omoregie also complained of the lackadaisical attitude of some waste managers, who would not evacuate waste from the market on time, but assured of the association’s readiness to partner with the ministry, in order to reduce the menace of dirt to the barest minimum.
The General Manager, Edo State Waste Management Board, Charles Imariagbe, stated that the accredited waste managers were not exempted from sanctions for failing to perform their duties.
Imariagbe stated that the waste management board could be contacted through the customers’ complaints numbers: 08109670790, 08109670791, for complaints concerning waste management in Edo.