…celebrates world clean-up day in grand-style
The Ekiti State Waste Management Authority (EKSEWMA) has intensified its sensitisation campaign on proper waste disposal as part of efforts to curb indiscriminate dumping of refuse and promote a cleaner and healthier environment across the state.
The sensitisation exercise took the officials of the Authority to major areas in Ado-Ekiti, including Ojo Oba, Oke-Isa, Ijigbo, Oja-Bisi and other communities, where residents were educated on the importance of proper waste management.
The exercise was also part of activities organised to commemorate this year’s World Cleanup Day, with the theme, “From Clean Plates to Clean Cities.”
Leading the sensitisation team to the various locations, the General Manager of EKSEWMA, Engr. Adekunle Tawose, said the exercise was aimed at creating greater awareness among residents on the need to maintain a clean environment.
Engr. Tawose stressed that proper waste disposal remained a collective responsibility, urging residents to desist from dumping refuse on roadsides, in drainages, waterways and other unauthorised locations.
The EKSEWMA General Manager reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to sustaining community engagement and public enlightenment programmes aimed at ensuring a cleaner, healthier and more environmentally friendly Ekiti State.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ekiti State Ministry of Environment, Dr. Sunday Omoya, called on residents to take environmental sanitation seriously and support government efforts to keep the state clean.
Dr Omoya stressed the need for residents to make proper waste disposal a regular practice, noting that maintaining a clean environment required the cooperation of individuals, communities and government agencies.
The immediate past Director-General of the Authority and House of Assembly candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Moba Constituency I, Hon. Sunkanmi Onipede said the state government had invested substantially in waste management and environmental sanitation.
Hon. Onipede listed the provision of Dano bins, procurement of vehicles for waste disposal and the employment of additional street sweepers among measures taken by the government to improve environmental cleanliness in the state.
He urged residents to complement the government’s efforts by taking responsibility for the proper disposal of their household and commercial waste.
According to him, government investments in environmental sanitation would yield better results if residents played their part by using designated waste disposal facilities and avoiding indiscriminate dumping.
The General Manager of the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Dare Asaolu, also warned residents against dumping refuse in drainage channels and other unauthorised places.
Mr Asaolu explained that blocked drainages could obstruct the free flow of water and increase the risk of flooding, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.
He therefore called on residents to desist from activities capable of blocking waterways and drainage channels, urging them to dispose of waste only at designated points.
They stressed that maintaining a clean environment should not be left solely to government agencies, but should be regarded as a shared responsibility involving residents, businesses, community leaders and other stakeholders.
