The Abia State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested three men and held a truck suspected to be carrying stolen crude oil.
The state commandant of the NSCDC, Dr Benito Eze urged pipeline vandals, baby factory operators and child traffickers to desist, saying his men will give them more than they bargained for.
Speaking in Umuahia while parading the suspects, Eze who assumed office this month, said that his men arrested the suspects at Ala-Oji along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
to be 33,000 litres of crude oil, adding that unrefined petroleum product is a national asset which the command has the obligation to protect.
He gave the names of the suspects as Godwin Nkadi, 43, from Delta State, Stephen Peter, 28, from Benue State and Dauda Mutari, 31, also from Delta.
The commandant said that in the course of the investigation the suspects said that the product belongs to one Chief Odenigbo who resides in Aba, but that they were taking the suspected substance to Anambra State.
Eze said that one of the suspects revealed that they forged a waste disposal way bill to enable them transport the suspected stolen petroleum product safely to the place the owner wanted them to offload it.
He said that the command was making progress in the investigations and that soon, the suspects will be transferred to the state police command for further questioning and possibly prosecution.
The commandant used to opportunity to advise the public not to sabotage the economy of the country through vandalism, warning that anyone so caught will be punished.
Answering questions from reporters, Nkadi said that they loaded condemned oil from Port Harcourt to Anambra State when they were caught by the men of NSCDC, stressing that they were not carrying crude oil.
The Senator representing Enugu-East senatorial zone, Gilbert Nnaji has expressed optimism that the perennial problem of epileptic power supply in the country would soon be over.
He spoke to reporters in Enugu, saying the improved power supply in the area would positively impact on businesses in the zone.
“For us in the Southeast, power is a major issue; what it involves is so much, PDP government privatised the sector and that is why we are witnessing uninterrupted power supply today in some parts of the country especially in Enugu and the adjoining states.
“Former President Jonathan started very well, though he didn’t achieve what he intended to achieve…For two weeks now I’ve been in Enugu since we went on recess but I can tell you that power has been stable. I want to commend EEDC and its chairman for what they have done. I’ve called him to commend him for what they have done, the way they’ve transformed power supply and distribution in the Southeast zone.
“Unlike in Abuja, especially at Apo Legislative Quarters where we live, you don’t see power for 24 hours, here in Enugu, it’s different. Power doesn’t stay in Abuja for 5 minutes. EEDC has done very well. If you have trasformer problem, they easily replace it. There is this portable transformer they have even introduced. They usually mount them on poles, making it impossible to be vandalised and it’s so helpful,” he said.
The lawmaker further noted that former President Jonathan had good intentions for the country, lamenting, however, that the past administration was seriously sabotaged by unseen forces. He therefore advised President Muhammadu Buhari to be mindful of the people that flock around him in order not to repeat the same mistakes made by the last administration.
“Jonathan was seriously sabotaged in so many aspects; both in power, petroleum and even in the election. PDP sabotaged themselves, we lost the election as a result of that. President Buhari is an action man, he’s a no-nonsense man and we believe that he will change things for the better, very straightforward, Nigerians have to give him time and support in order to effect the much needed change,” he said.
Everyone loves a well-planned city, yet when bulldozers started tearing down shanty structures in Owerri, there was a flood of tears, reports OKODILI NDIDI
Women shop owners broke down as the bulldozer blades went to work in a shanty in Owerri, the Imo State capital. Some shouted and threw themselves at task force officials in a bid to stop the demolition. The men looked gravely at the scene, some trying to salvage as much of their wares as possible before everything was gone.
It was like a scene in a James Bond movie. The bulldozers rampaged on, and fierce-looking task force officials leaving no one in any doubt that they meant business. The state government has started demolishing illegal structures and shanties in the state capital.
At the entrance to the city, by the popular Control Junction, traders numbering over 1000 were affected by the demolition exercise, which was supervised by the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Acho Ihim.
Also affected were shops located along the Word Bank Housing Road, which were said to have flouted the capital city master plan.
The adamant traders, were forewarned a week ago by the State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, who had personal visited the traders and told them the need to clean up the entire city to give it a look befitting of a state capital and to guide against the dangers of flooding, especially as the state has been named among states to witness unusual rainfall this year.
But the warning fell on deaf ears as the traders who had promised the Governor that they will pull down the illegal structures before the demolition tam arrive, carried on in defiance of the Governor’s directive, apparently because previous directives were not enforced.
Meanwhile, some of the affected traders claimed that the state government did not provide any alternative place for the traders, nor were they given enough time to relocate.
Also, the governor had earlier, shortly after being sworn in for his second tenure, said that the state government would no longer tolerate shanties and illegal structures scattered across the state capital.
One of the affected shop owners, Mr. Paulicap Osuala, while recounting his loss, said that he cannot believe that he could lost everything he has labored for all his life under few minutes.
He lamented that he had lost over N8 million to the demolition exercise, adding that “as it is now I don’t know what to do or where to start from”.
Osuala, who said that he was present during the Governor’s visit, last weekend, insisted that the governor never told them that the demolition was going to affect the shops in his area, but was shocked when the bulldozers started pulling down the shop, without giving the traders the opportunity to explain.
He said, “The governor never directed us to pack our goods and relocate, because if he had told us, I would have packed my goods and left the place to avoid losing them like this now. I was surprised to come out this morning to see all my goods and properties destroyed without even a pin left. So where do they expect me to start from”.
He further condemned the action of the state government, adding that the punishment being “meted to poor people who fought and even died for the governor during the last election to ensure his victory at the pool is unfortunate”.
Another affected trader, Mrs. Ulumma Onyechehe expressed total disappoint at the exercise, stating that, “we never expected this kind of treatment from our governor. I still cannot believe that this is happening”.
She stated herself and the elder brother have been doing business in the place for years and have been paying for the shop at the sum of N170,000.00 per annum.
She however claimed that they were preparing to relocate their things before the task force team came and destroyed the roof of their shops, crying that, “I don’t intend to do anything other than to pack my things home and wait for what the future has for me.
Meanwhile, the state government had defended the action, describing it as genuine efforts to clean up the capital city and realize the master plan, which has been abandoned to the detriment of the residents.
The Chief of Staff to the Government House and Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Uche Nwosu, said that the state government embarked on the exercise to clean up the city by removing all illegal structures built without requisite approval from government.
The governor had also in a media chat with journalists, appealed to the traders and other residents to cooperate with the state government over its plan to sanitize the state capital.
In his words, “I am appealing to my people to cooperate with us because if we continue like this we won’t clean up our state capital. It was a painful decision to take, considering my relationship with my people but this has to be done for a better Imo State”.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to appoint an Igbo as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) said their choice for the SGF slot is Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the first civilian governor of Abia State, arguing that he has the qualities for the office.
They added that Onu’s personality and political exposure makes him not only the most eminently qualified, and will help the president win fight against corruption.
The group also weighed in on the contentious relocation of Boko Haram inmates to the Ekwulobia Prisons in Anambra State, which has stirred anxiety in the community and its environs.
In a release signed by the leader of the group, Okechukwu Isiguzo, they expressed their satisfaction on the steps taken by the federal government to recover stolen funds and restore sanity in critical sectors of the economy.
They also called on the President to set up an investigative committee to revisit the mysterious death of some innocent Nigerians at the Ezu River in Anambra State.
OYC wondered why those behind the dastardly act were yet to be nabbed and prosecuted.
In combat or captivity, insurgents are dreaded in equal measure. NWANOSIKE ONU reports that the relocation of Boko Haram prisoners to the Ekwulobia Prisons in Anambra State is still being resisted in the region
Boko Haram fighters are pretty much like the proverbial lion, avoided in life and death. Even in captivity, guarded by prison officials and the military, no one wants to have anything to do with them. In Ekwulobia, Anambra State, to whose prison some insurgent prisoners have been shipped from the northeast, there have been protests since the relocation about two weeks ago. Across the region, the resistance has been just as vehement.
•A school hostel in Yobe State once destroyed by Boko Haram
Boko Haram fighters have amply shown such mindless thirst for blood and maximum violence. Their bombs have ripped apart huge structures including churches and mosques, among other buildings. They have decapitated and, reportedly, even beheaded victims. Their suicide bombers, among whom women and young girls, some as young as 12, have blown people apart.
Thus, since the relocation of captured insurgents to Ekwulobia, the residents and people of the Southeast have not rested. It was said that about 47 Boko Haram prisoners were brought to Anambra, but more have been shipped in to join the ones earlier relocated.
The development triggered outrage from the zone. Traders under the aegis of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) led by Chief Chukwudi Ezenwankwor protested in the streets.
The action by the Federal Government has also drawn the ire of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), with the evangelical organisation describing it as spiritual warfare.
The governors of the Southeast states, led by Owelle Rochas Okorocha (Imo), have brainstormed the issue in Owerri, the state capital. Their meeting ended without a clear way forward.
The situation has created panic among the residents of the state, while some in Ekwulobia have started relocating to other communities.
Not only that. The region’s youths have threatened to declare war if the Federal Government fails to rescind its decision of dumping the high-risk insurgents in the area.
Though, the military had been deployed to take charge of the area for safety purposes, the youths declared that it will not deter them any time they want to take action, if nothing is done.
The state CAN led by its chairman, Superintendent Senior Apostle Tim Okpala, has declared fasting and prayer.
Less than a week ago, the Christian fold in the state assembled at Emmaus House in Awka alongside the youth, women and other clergy to protest the federal government action.
Among those present during the protest and spiritual warfare were the Anglican Archbishop on the Niger and Dean, Church of Nigerian, Most Rev Christian Efobi and Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor.
Also, in the procession were Anglican Bishops of Awka, Most Rev Alex Ibezim, Bishop of Niger-West, Most Rev Johnson Ekwe and Bishop of Ogbaru, Most Rev Samuel Ezeofor.
The women and youth members of the various denominations carried placards that read, “Anambra CAN says no to Boko Haram, we have no accommodation for Boko Haram, we have not slept since then, WOWICAN rejects Boko Haram among others.”
Apostle Okpala warned against violence. He told The Nation that the war the youths said they would declare should be spiritual, not with arms.
He said, “The youth should remain calm; there is no need for such because we have seen war before, going to war will not solve the problem, CAN is not in support of that. Our own war is spiritual; we are going to take our own weapon which is prayers to fight this battle.
“What we are saying is that the prisons belong to the federal government, but they should take these high risk prisoners back to the North; Southeast is not a home for them, we do not need them in this peaceful environment.”
“The issue of insurgencies which is a global dread, could inflict emotional injuries to the people in a relatively peaceful environment like Anambra State”
“Bringing inmates of insurgents constitutes a serious security risk to the lives and property of the people inside and outside the prison.”
“These people are not our brothers and sisters, they should go back to where they belong; we condemn the act of bringing insurgents to an ordinary prison like Ekwulobia prison.”
CAN urged the public to be calm in the situation, calling for prayers from Nigerians for security of life and property in the country.
It has become a blame game between the former governor of the state, Peter Obi and his successor, Willie Obiano, who accused Obi and former president Goodluck Jonathan of being behind the current situation when they allegedly signed a pact in 2012 to relocate the inmates. Obi has fired back, calling his successor a liar. Chinedu Obidigwe a special adviser to Obiano on political matters reportedly pointed the finger of blame on Obi, while the former governor’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem responded on behalf of his principal.
As the fire rages on, the federal government has continued to keep mum over the matter, but one thing is clear, the people of the Southeast have said there is no going to sleep till the issue is resolved.
The slump in oil prices seems to be bringing out the best in the leaders, with Abia State planning to generate N1.5b internally every month.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu revealed the government’s plan at his maiden press briefing in Umuahia, the state capital.
A source said the state was once generating between N300b to N600 billion monthly but has since dropped due to leakages linked to a few individuals who siphon government funds and have been getting away with it. This, according to the source, the governor will no longer tolerate.
According to Ikpeazu, part of the steps taken by his administration to achieve to it target was the ongoing infrastructural and some road reconstruction and rehabilitation in the state, especially Aba, the commercial hub of the state, adding that more road constructions in the state are due for inauguration in less than one week.
The governor further disclosed said that the state government’s plan is to do an average of 100 trucks of waste everyday for 30 days, stressing that that has been completed and would be extended.
The governor assured that de-silting of drainages in Aba would be a monthly exercise for six months.
Meanwhile, the chairman Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Aba branch Mr. Chidozie Ogunji, a lawyer, has advised Governor to make good use of the state IGR as the price of oil at the international oil market continues to dwindle.
Ogunji in a chat with journalists in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state, noted that the economy of the state would blossom and government able to execute its projects if the IGR of the state would be properly managed.
According to him, if Ikpeazu can fulfill his promise of infrastructural renewal and boost trade and commerce in Aba he will discover that resources that would be generated from Aba can run the state effectively without relying on federal allocations.
In a chat with in Aba, Ogunji posited that if Aba is fixed, the city has the potentials to generate huge Internally Generated Revenue which would be far in excess of federal allocations, stressing that the governor must plug revenue leakages.
“I think the governor has started on a good note by his efforts to rehabilitate roads and open some of these areas. He can change the face of Aba and make sure that touts are pushed out and ensure that infrastructure is working well and turn Aba into a mega city. Investors will come and businesses will begin to thrive in the city. Again, the problem of illegal revenue agents and touting should be given a serious attention because most of these revenues they collect end up in private pockets. He must make haste to block revenue leakages to get funds for development purposes.”
He urged the governor to cut the high cost of government in the state by not recycling some names that have refused to engage themselves in any other work than relying on government as well as scrapping Ministries, Department and Agencies, MDAs, with similar functions.
The NBA chairman also lamented that the courts have been on strike in the state and called on the governor to ensure that the problems is resolved.
According to him,”It is an infringement on the rights of the people to have the courts shut down.Gov. Ikpeazu should do everything within his means to ensure that the courts are opened. Whatever is the matter should be resolved; it is undemocratic to have the courts under lock and key.”
As part of measures to curb the rising incidence of kidnapping and cultism, Imo State is to set up a special court to try cultism and kidnapping cases.
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Acho Ihim said that the court when inaugurated would ensure that suspected kidnappers and cultists are treated according to the dictates of the law.
The Speaker, who made the disclosure after a joint security meeting, said that other conventional courts in the state will be renovated.
In a related development, the state government also inaugurated a committee to decongest the prisons in the state.
The committee made up of the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere and the Chief Judge of the State, justice Paschal Nnadi, was mandated to visit the prisons and liaise with the authorities on how to decongest the prisons. .
He said that the council also resolved to find a lasting solution to the lingering strike action embarked upon by the workers of Federal Medical Center Owerri ; adding that the state government will have meeting with the union of the hospital to find a lasting solution.
Chief Ejiogu also appealed to Imo indigenes to always ensure that their gutters/drainages are kept clean as the state would be experiencing heavy down pour as forecast by Nigeria meteorological agency (NIM).
Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Rector Prof Iloeje Michael, in this interview with SUNNY NWANKWO, speaks on how the institution rose from rot and mismanagement to one of pride. Excerpts:
What does it means to you being appointed IMT rector?
Well, to be fair, it is a challenge and opportunity to put back to the system the knowledge I garnered in my academic sojourn. It is an opportunity for me to use those skills acquired over the years; managerial, administrative and academic skills to make something better out of IMT and I am happy that gradually, I think that we are succeeding.
Have you achieved some of the things you planned as IMT rector?
When I came here in 2011, IMT was de-listed, disenfranchised and the accreditation of the school to operate as a polytechnic was withdrawn by the supervisory and regulatory agency for polytechnic education in Nigeria, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). They had written to inform the general public that IMT’s accreditation has been withdrawn. Prior to that, the federal government had also directed JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) to delist IMT; so what it means is that people will no longer be processed for admission into IMT. Further to that, they had also written to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) office, directing them that nobody from IMT should be mobilised for the mandatory National Youth Service programme. What that means is that entry for admission into IMT and exit has been sealed up. It is like when the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) says that a particular brand of beer should no longer be produced or sold in Nigeria. That factory is dead. So, that’s why people like me were appointed to come and serve.
How did you rescue the institution?
When such first generation counterparts as Yaba Tech, Kaduna Poly, and Ibadan Poly, among others, were waxing stronger, IMT was being shamed following the withdrawal of its accreditation. It was unacceptable to academicians and intellectuals like me, particularly those of us of Enugu State extraction. So, we went to work and within two months into my administration, I provided a roadmap for the federal government through the NBTE to restore the accreditation of IMT, presenting facts and figures that cannot be challenged successfully anywhere. Having provided such roadmap, the NBTE restored our accreditation status, allowing us to operate again.
JAMB was equally directed to again enlist IMT among institutions offering admission to students seeking for admission into tertiary institutions. Further to that, NYSC was directed to start mobilising graduates from this institution for the one year mandatory youth service. You can imagine having a backlog of about 15,812 graduates of this institution who were just pooled somewhere, denying them entry into the job market and you know that if a graduate doesn’t go for NYSC, he or she can’t get a job. What that meant was that it disenfranchised graduates from IMT; it is unacceptable. It won’t just create educational problem, it will create a social problem, so that has to be attended to.
“I am happy to say that within two years all the students were able to go for their NYSC peacefully and I can tell you that most of them have been absorbed in the labour market.
I also decided to look inwards into the rot in IMT. If you had come here in 2011, you would have shed tears. This institution was rotten; every aspect of it was totally unacceptable for some of us who went to very good schools. It was also a shame and embarrassment that an institution handed over to us in Enugu State was left to just rot down the line. So, we decided to clean it up.
The first thing I did was among the staff because they were not properly paid. There was a new salary arrangement which the federal and state government had agreed to implement in the polytechnics as far back as 2009, but that salary package was not implemented here. So, I decided to go to all extent to see that our staff were paid salaries commensurate with their colleagues in other polytechnics in this country.
The [then] governor Mr Sullivan Chime approved a tremendous increase from N20m to N120m a month and that money has been coming.
With the fund, I was able to pay my staff salaries commensurate with their colleagues in other polytechnics in this country.
The next thing I did was tackle the issue of overcrowding in the institute. This place was so over-bloated with students. We have a carrying capacity of 7,080 approved by NBTE. But when I came here, they were over 35,000 students which was part of the reason why IMT was delisted and de-accredited.
Our admission policy was reviewed in order to ensure that only qualified students were admitted here, there is no magic to it. What we did was that we implemented the age old National Council for Education policy that for you to be admitted for tertiary institutions; universities or polytechnics, you must have five O’ Level credits at not more than two sittings and those credits must include English Language and Mathematics. It wasn’t being implemented here; people were being admitted and graduated with only one or two credits at school certificates, so I insisted on it and by that, I was able to sift the admission process in order to ensure that only qualified candidates were actually registered in IMT.
The next thing I equally did was to look at the admission process. There was a lot of hanky-panky going on here; people were collecting money to syndicate admission and I immediately put an end to that syndicate and now everything about admission in IMT is done online.
After achieving that, I went on in pursuit of getting professional and academic accreditation for our programmes. We were able to put on ground and called various accreditation bodies; NBTE among others to come and look at our institution, department by department, asking them to tell us what we need to do to increase our library facilities and our teaching to improve teaching and learning in our institution. I can tell you that 34 of our programmes have been accredited by the National Board of Technical Education. Seventeen of those programmes received full valid for the next five years. Other ones received interim accreditation valid for the next two years. That is the way of restoring the academic credibility of this institution.
I also looked at our libraries, laboratories and workshops. We used all funds made available to us by TETfund (Tertiary Education Trust Fund) to buy laboratory and workshop equipment. We have 2,000 refurbished mini laboratories and many workshops here, particularly in Engineering and Technology where it will be easy to make a faster intervention if we want to buy new equipment. We also have new equipment in our mechatronics lab; we have new equipment like we do have in civil, mechanical and electronic engineering departments.
Meanwhile some of it came from the TETfund for Library equipment.
To top the list is our new international ICT centre which we have built from our IGR (Internally Generated Revenue) of about N300m within seven months of the building project commencement and has since been commissioned by the Commissioner of Education, Enugu State.
I will encourage visitors in the state to go there and look and avail themselves the opportunity of making use of the tremendous ICT facility that is at their disposal in IMT.
The chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abia State council, Mr. John Emejor has challenged journalists in the state to be more professional in the discharge of their duties.
Emejor also bemoaned what he termed as the decline of investigative journalism, urged colleagues to be probing in their reportage.
He told The Nation that the reason why it appears as if journalism was not thriving in the state was because practitioners do not ask critical questions on issues of public importance and do not follow up stories.
He spoke with our correspondent on the phone.
“The problem remains that investigative journalism appears not to be thriving in the state. When issues are raised and nobody follows it up to its logical conclusion, suddenly the whole thing will fizzle out. If we dig deep, then the application of that FOI Bill will come into place”.
On how to fight quacks in the state which has infiltrated the noble profession/practice, Emejor disclosed that ethical committee has been established by the state council to deal with such matter, stressing that the committee would always act by investigating on any petition against journalist alleged of being a quack and the committee in line with the provisions of the NUJ constitution would sanction the person appropriately.
“There are many quacks in the business, but when we have a written report against them, we will go after them and the committee instituted by the council will determine their punishment in line with the constitution of the union but where it goes beyond what we can manage, we will hand the person over to the security agencies to investigate the person further. There must be written evidence indicating what the person did. But when there is no report, will be chasing a hot air”.
Speaking on steps the NUJ, Abia State Council was taking to train and retrain its members to meet international best media practice, the NUJ state chairman said “We have been trying to partner with institutions and corporate individuals, but incidentally, not much exist in Abia State. We are yet to have people that would fund and get some professionals to train us.
“Nobody can play with training and retraining of journalists because a well trained journalist is an invaluable asset to this community and the entire human race. Training and retraining is part and parcel of programme we have for Journalists in Abia State”, he emphasized.
He advised journalists in the state to always cross-check their facts and as well try to give the accused fair hearing which he said would make their reports balance and objective.
”I want to advice journalists to be professional in their reportage; there are two sides to every situation. Each time, we (journalists) tend to take stories from mostly government angle and refused to take from another angle. The practice is being anchored on ethical principles. Let journalists go all out to use the FOI Bill. I am insisting that to be a renowned professional, you must also be professional in your outlook, in your writing, speeches and all that”.
The Abia NUJ chairman stressing the need for journalists in the state and to embrace reading said “There is no laziness in this business, they (journalists) should find something new, any day, any time and for you (journalists) to stay afloat and people to keep reading you, you must not play with your books. Journalists are not reading their books anymore because of the pressure of the job but I will advice any journalist who wants to remain relevant in this life and in his chosen profession to find time to read books particularly communication and other books”.
De-silting Aba’s clogged drains has started but the commercial city is still a sorry sight. Heaps of refuse characterise Enyimba City, especially its busiest expressway, Port Harcourt Road. Residents including business owners want the garbage dumps evacuated.
They called on the agency managing domestic and industrial waste in the commercial town to urgently clear the heap of refuse.
The residents also feared that the refuse if not hastily evacuated could lead to outbreak of disease.
Some of the residents and shop owners who spoke to our reporter claimed that they have made several efforts to draw the attention of the Abia State Waste Management Agency (ASEMA) without any positive result.
They said it is not only that the health risks they are worried about, but also that the refuse heaps are an eyesore to everyone including visitors.
“The dangers these heaps of refuse poses to our lives are too much and the type of stench that comes out from the refuse heap is enough to send someone to his or her early grave. This is where we do business and we can’t afford not to come out to open for business, because if we don’t how then are we going to fend for our families?
“But the truth is that it is not funny and not good for our health. We on a daily and sometimes, weekly basis patronize chemist shops or go to the hospital to run one medical test or the other because of the bad odor that we inhale here on a daily basis.
“The situation we have found ourselves has equally not been favourable to our businesses. Some of our customers either stop at Flyover to buy from there. The roads are not good, refuse scattered here and there. My house is not too far from here (Crystal Park) and yet going home and coming to my shop everyday is more agonizing. In fact, we live like people or a patient who has been suffering from a terminal illness left on his or her sick bed without being attended to by any doctor or nurses only waiting to breathe his or her last.
“The reason is simple, you are here and you have equally seen things for yourself. I can’t remember last time when we saw ASEPA officials coming to this place to evacuate refuse and yet we pay for ASEPA fees and other environmental levies. Please help us if you can to inform them (ASEPA) that we are really suffering here and feared that situation of things might grow from bad to worse if they don’t come to our rescue immediately. I don’t know if we are still part of this Aba or not, Mrs. Chikwendu Okereke, a Port Harcourt road resident and shop owner retorted.
However, a staff of the agency who would not want its name to be mentioned attributed their inability to evacuate the refuse on Port Harcourt road to the nature of its road network and promised that they were already mapping out plans on how to tackle waste disposal and management in the area.
“You can agree with me that refuse disposal and management in Aba has really improved. We have been also been able to replace old receptacles with new ones and that of Port Harcourt road is a peculiar one. The road network is bad. We have been able to cleanup some places where we can have access to, but the other areas where our trucks can’t have access to, we seriously mapping out plans on to see how we can come in and help to address the situation”.
