Official of Nasarawa State on enforcement of environmental sanitation.
Collins Agwam – Lafia
Twenty-two residents have been arrested and 19 prosecuted for not taking part in the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Nasarawa State which takes place every last Saturday of the month.
The Dune on a tour with some Officials from the Ministry of Environment went around Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital and observed that most residents did not participate in the monthly exercise as they were seen carrying out their businesses without any form of hindrance.
Alhaji Abubakar Muhammed, Chief Prosecuting Officer, Mobile Court in the state, speaking with newsmen on the possible reason why the turn out was low, he explained that there was a torrential rain fall on Friday night and it is possibly the rain is the reason for the low compliance.
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“Well I think because of the rain that fell over the night, many people did not comply with the sanitation exercise. We arrested 22 people and 19 of them have been prosecuted accordingly”.
When asked what the Ministry of Environment will do to ensure that the people increase participation in sanitation exercises, he said “The environmental health officers will go House to House for sensitisation. They are in all the 13 Local Government Areas and 16 Development Areas of the state”.
Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar called on residents in the state to always comply with government directives by coming out every last Saturday of the month to clean their surroundings as those who go against the sanitation law will be sanctioned.
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“I urge the people of Nasarawa state to always come out to clean their environments and observe our sanitation laws so that anybody that enters the state will know that we are very serious people in terms of hygiene.
“I look at the sanitation in two perspectives, first to clean the environment preparatory to the warning of the Federal Government on flood, secondly, it’s a sanitation commemorating 1st October when Nasarawa state will be 24 years old.
“It’s the policy direction of His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule that all Local Government Areas of the state should be kept clean not only Lafia, the state capital”, he said.
