By Usman Oladimeji
The Kwara State Government has announced that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise for the month of October will hold on Saturday across the state.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued from the Office of the State Commissioner for Environment, Hajia Nafisat Musa Buge, by the Press Secretary of the Ministry, Shakirat Muritala.
According to the statement, the exercise will hold between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., with restriction of vehicular and human movement across the state during the period.
The Commissioner enjoined members of the public to participate fully in the exercise, while imploring authorities of Local Government Areas to deploy environmental health officers to their various localities to monitor compliance.
She also called on community associations to take ownership of the clean-up exercise in their respective communities to rid them of sources of hazards and diseases.
Hajia Buge stated that waste management trucks will be made available for waste collection and subsequent disposal at government-approved dump sites.
She added that security agencies and environmental officers have been detailed to apprehend offenders and take them to the nearest mobile court for prosecution.
The statement warned residents against dumping refuse on pedestrian walkways, roadsides, drainages, canals and other unapproved dump sites, emphasizing that it is a punishable offence under the State Environmental Law.
It therefore enjoined residents to use the opportunity to clear overgrown grasses and bushes, and to clean up their homes, business premises and drainages to sustain a clean and safe environment in the state.
