The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AEPB

  • AEPB urges residents to curb waste littering

    Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has urged residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to get waste bins and sizeable polythene bags to support the efforts at curtailing littering of wastes on streets.

    The AEPB Head of Information and Outreach Unit, Mallam Muktar Ibrahim, gave the advice in an interview. He urged residents to replace their damaged bins with new ones, adding that residents who had no bins should buy sizeable polythene bags to curtail littering waste on the street.

    He recalled that AEPB had on February 13  held Waste Bin Enforcement Stakeholders’ meeting to sensitise residents on the need to replace the damaged bins.

    According to him, this has become personal responsibility of residents.

    Initially, it used to be government responsibility because in the past, bins were freely distributed to residents, especially when AEPB started its operations in Abuja.

    Furthermore, he stressed that some residents are still expecting this to be the case, but unfortunately “it has reached a situation where government can no longer buy as many bins based on the number of people in Abuja”.  He argued that it is an individual responsibility for residents to get functional waste bins and ensure replacement of those bins when the old ones are damaged.

    He said AEPB would have contracted a relevant company to supply the waste bins for residents, but the board was facing the challenge of not paying waste service charges enjoyed by residents.

    He said: “In our talks, we have actually played with the idea of supplying and deducting from the waste bins but then it becomes a difficult thing because people are not even prepared to pay waste service charges. This one is not like a levy; it is payment for waste service already enjoyed. So, we are having a problem with that. We also advise that they can buy sizeable polythene bags and use it to pack waste in interim.’’

    According to him, AEPB has also located roll-on bins in some strategic places in Abuja to curtail the incidence of littering waste on the street.

  • Court seals off Abuja Banex plaza

     

    The popular Banex Plaza located in Wuse 2, Abuja, was on Friday sealed off on the alleged order of a magistrate court.

    Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) had gone to court asking for the vacation of the premises by Banex Plaza tenants.

    Mr Chibuike Nzedinma, Chairman, Banex Plaza Wuse 2 Tenants Association, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the closure was uncalled for.

    Nzedinma said that the board failed to officially notify them about the said court order.

    “Some weeks back, the AEPB told us that they were going to use the plaza as a mobile court.

    “But we could not see any mobile court on the said date, I personally went round to check but could not see, surprisingly, today (Friday) they sealed off some of our shops,” he said.

    The chairman, who sued for calm, said they would seek redress in court for such an order to be vacated.

    Also, Mrs. Nkoli Unachukwu, a tenant, said that such closure was detrimental to economic development of the country.

    Unachukwu said that they had lost millions of Naira due to the closure.

    She called on the Federal Government to intervene to prevent shut down of business in the plaza.

    AEPB had allegedly demanded to use the premises for mobile court.

     

  • AEPB to residents: don’t deface Abuja with illegal structures

    AEPB to residents: don’t deface Abuja with illegal structures

    The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) yesterday warned Abuja residents to desist from defacing the city with illegal structures or risk the demolition of such structures.

    Alhaji Baba Lawan, the Director of AEPB, who gave the warning in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said Abuja was a model city, whose original design ought to be preserved at all costs.

    He said that the erection of illegal structures in Abuja had negated the master plan for the nation’s capital, thereby defacing the city and distorting its development patterns.

    The director expressed concern over the growing number of illegal structures such as gardens, building block industries and carwashes by the roadside across the city.

    According to him, these structures are erected whereas there was no provision for them in the original plan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    “Abuja is a model city and you cannot just come in there and settle anyhow.

    “You see carwashes, block industries, illegal gardens along all the roads and expressways; these structures have distorted the original design of Abuja.

    “The detergent coming out from these carwashes is polluting the environment and there is no provision for carwashes by road shoulders.

    “These are expressway shoulders and the activities of carwashes are fast becoming a nuisance to the entire environment,’’ he said.

    Lawan encouraged residents living around such illegal structures to report them to the appropriate authorities for swift action and sanctions against the offenders.

  • NLC pickets agencies, multinationals over anti-labour practices

    NLC pickets agencies, multinationals over anti-labour practices

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Friday picketed the Abuja corporate headquarters of telecommunication giant, MTN Nigeria and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) over anti-Labour practices, accusing the two organizations of subjecting workers to slave Labour.

    President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba who led the picketing said it was part of activities marking the international day for decent work, set aside by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to advance Issues of decent work, issues of occupational health and safety, better conditions of service, and minimum wage Wabba said every worker is entitled to better working conditions, accusing the telecommunication company of regularly renewing employment contract with its workers as a way of shying away from the respiratory similitude of paying gratuity and pension to them.

    At the AEPB, Wabba said: “We have identified two organisation’s, Abuja Environmental Protection Board where casualization has been on and workers have been denied the rights to unionise among other issues.

    Secondly is the notorious MTN which all of us are aware of. Every three months they sack the workers and give them a new contract. This is not acceptable, our laws do not accept that, and those workers need to be liberated.

    “We need to tell them that they need to respect international labour laws, they need to also respect our own labour laws but importantly, they must respect human and trade union rights.

    “Workers have dignity, workers are not slaves and therefore, all workers must be treated with the workers best of attention. Injury to one is an injury to all. Injury to the workers at MTN and AEPB is an injury to all Nigerian workers. Issues of minimum wage must be attended to within minimum time, we are running out of time”

  • AEPB urges residents to pay waste charges

    The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has urged residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to pay their waste charges in line with the FCT Environmental Act.

    The board said that residents unwilling to pay their waste charges may risk prosecution, adding that the prompt payment of environmental service bills and provision of waste bins on properties will ensure efficient waste management in the FCT.

    Acting Director AEBP Mrs Omolola Olanipekun, represented by Mr Omoruyi Omogiede, made the call during the AEPB pilot intergrated solid waste management project at the life camp district in Abuja.

    Speaking at a town hall meeting, AEPB informed residents that it carries out its statutory responsibility of cleaning the environment through direct engagement, licensed cleaning contractors and partnership which requires huge sum of money.

    Public Relations Officer (PRO) AEPB Samuel Musa who made this known in a press statement said: “This call was made by the FCT Administration through Abuja Environmental Protection Board during a Town Hall explanatory meeting with residents in Life camp over the weekend. The integrated waste management project awareness programme was jointly organized by AEPB and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Life Camp District of the FCT.

    ”Residents were reminded of their responsibility of paying their waste service charges in line with the provision of the FCT Environmental Act which stipulates that all residents will have to pay the service charges and failure to pay such charges will adhere to risk prosecution of defaulters.

    ”Speaking at the town hall explanatory meeting the Ag. Director Mrs. Omolola Olanipekun, who was represented by Mr Omoruyi Omogiede said that AEPB carries out its statutory responsibility of cleaning the Environment through direct engagement, licensed cleaning contractors and partnership which required huge sums of money. This meeting with residents provides the enabling environment for enlightenment and creates the awareness for effective waste management within the district.”

     

  • Women sue FCT agency, allege arbitrary arrest, detention

    •Seek N100m compensation

    Four Abuja-based women have sued an agency of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), alleging arbitrary arrest and detention.

    The women include Dorothy Njemanze, Edu Oroko, Justina Etim and Amarachi Jessyford..

    The plaintiffs, in the suit they filed before the ECOWAS Community Court, are challenging what theu called the gender-based violence and discrimination they suffered in the hands of officials of AEPB.

    According to court documents filed yesterday on behalf of the plaintiffs by a rights advocacy group, Alliances for Africa, the four women were alleged arrested and molested by AEPB officials between July 2012 and April 2013.

    “These law-abiding women were unlawfully harassed physically, psychologically and sexually by AEPB officers, police officers and soldiers, who work with them, because they (the plaintiffs) were considered prostitutes.

    “Most women, who are found on the streets of Abuja in evening and night time, are subjected to similar treatment. These officers carry out raids, round up women roughly, often assaulting and dragging them into waiting vans and threatening them with guns if they resist.

    “It is not clear what criteria AEOB and its partners use to classify women as prostitutes and why they should inflict unlawful assaults on them including illegal detention.”

    The plaintiffs argued that their unlawful harassment, arrest and detention by AEPB officials and supporting officials of the Nigeria Police and soldiers amounted to violation of their fundamental human rights guaranteed by many international laws, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

    The are praying the court for among others, compensation to the tune of N100million against the defendant.

     

     

  • Clean-up begins at Abuja blasts scene

    Clean-up begins at Abuja blasts scene

    Life is gradually returning to the ever-busy EMAB Plaza, scene of the bomb blast that occurred last Wednesday, killing 23 people and leaving over 53 injured.

    A lane has been opened to the general public and vehicular movement is presently uninterrupted while security operatives are still keeping watch over the scene.

    The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has swung into action by sweeping the scene while all the burnt vehicles have been removed.

    Those who gained access to the shops started counting their losses while others wondered where they would start from.

    Policemen were seen screening visitors to the shopping mall while those whose cars were parked in the premises of the shopping mall were asked to the particulars of their vehicles before they would be released to them.