By Kayode Babatuyi
The multipurpose recycling plant at the Ilokun dump site in Ado Ekiti needs the urgent attention of the State and Federal governments.
Roundoffnews investigative reporter Kayode Babatuyi who visited the facility reports that the plant is at the verge of collapse due to poor attention by government and corruption.
The multipurpose recycling plant is among the twenty six others inaugurated by the Federal government in 2012 under the waste to wealth.
The initiative was aimed at ensuring the recycling of plastic materials for industrial use towards generating income for government and create employment opportunities.
At the inauguration of the plant, several modern machines worth millions of Naira were installed among which are the melting machine, granulator, crusher, cooler, power plant, Compressor to mention but a few.
However a visit to the plant shows that majority of all the machines have packed up as confirmed from an interaction with a casual plant operator who claimed that he was paid ten thousand naira only every month.
According to him, it’s been a while that they operated due to the state of the facilities which he claimed had gone bad for some years but without intervention by government.
Speaking with Roundoffnews.com the Director of Operations with the Ekiti state waste management Board Mr Osalusi A yoola and the main plant operator Mr Ajayi confirmed that the plant had been underutilized but blamed the development on lack of power and poor funding by government.
The officers affirmed that what government was offering the board for waste management was not even enough to cater for clearing of refuse let alone maintenance of the plant.
The plant operator Mr Ajayi also confirmed that the plant was currently lacking the necessary facilities that could ensure smooth operations saying those available have gone bad and unattended to.
The Director and the plant operator both agreed that the plant if well managed would boost the economy of the state, but wondered over the poor attention of government.
All efforts to reach out to the commissioner for environment in Ekiti state otunba Bisi kolawole was unsuccessful.