Commissioner for Environment and Forestry in Kwara State, Hajia Nafisat Buge says the state government is reactivating old days Environmental Health Officers visitation to households to enforce environmental laws across the state
Hajia Buge dropped this hint in an Exclusive Interview with Dailysource in Ilorin, the State Capital
She recalled that growing up, people feared Environmental Health Officers than soldiers as they would be compelled to engage in sanitation exercise to forestall cholera outbreak and other related diseases
The Commissioner attributed perennial indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the state to poor orientation and lack of proper enforcement of environmental policies
According to her, the Ministry has embarked on physical engagements with critical stakeholders concerned and other associations in the society to enlighten them on global standards of refuse disposal
She pointed out that jingles in major local languages in Kwara including Yoruba, Nupe, Fulfude, Hausa Batonu, pidgin and English have been packaged , aired on Radio stations while some vehicles in Ministry and Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency, KWEPA with public address system are also deployed to play the jingles for public awareness within Ilorin metropolis
Hajia Buge noted that a taskforce has been raised to educate people on the dangers inherent in indiscriminate refuse disposal to stop the culprits from dumping refuse on road medians, drainages and communities
She elucidated that the taskforce would also be working during the rain as they have been provided with rain coats for possible arrest of anyone found dumping refuse to drainages.
Hajia Buge rolled out sanctions for defaulters of the state environmental policies such as fine of 50,000 naira for individual,100,000 naira for a roadside shop owner and 500,000 naira for a firm
The Commissioner maintained that failure to pay the option of fine would attract 3 months jail term or community service where defaulters would be asked to join refuse loaders and evacuate waste from drainages for 5 days
She explained that her Ministry is rolling out contacts for eyewitness report to track and apprehend anyone indulging in poor refuse disposal and urged prospective eyewitness to always provide pictorial evidence of environmental offenders to earn a reward
Hajia Buge announced that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has just approved and designed a waste bin of 120 litres with Kwara State Government logo compulsory for shop owners and some residential areas in the State to purchase for efficient waste management in the State
The Commissioner said the government is partnering commercial waste collectors to complement its efforts of refuse disposal as their names, contacts and areas of coverage had been published and charged commercial waste collectors not to charge people arbitrarily
