The Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, has commended residents for their impressive compliance during the July monthly environmental sanitation exercise, describing it as one of the most successful in recent times.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday at the Umuahia Sanitation Court where offenders were tried, Ogbonna specifically praised traders at Oriegba Market for heeding the government’s call to suspend activities during the exercise. He said the growing cooperation of residents reflects a shift in public attitude in alignment with Governor Alex Otti’s environmental vision for the state.
Ogbonna noted that his team visited Olokoro and Ubakala to monitor compliance and expressed satisfaction with the turnout. He acknowledged past challenges, especially in market areas, but said July’s exercise marked a turning point, partly due to the integration of a harmonized task force into the sanitation enforcement team.
Also speaking, Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Hon. Kalu Mba-Nwoke, disclosed that many communities, particularly Akanu Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area, actively participated in the exercise. He urged the police to support the Ministry of Environment by redirecting sanitation defaulters to the appropriate authorities rather than handling them at police stations. Mba-Nwoke emphasized that any penalties collected from defaulters must be remitted to the state through the Ministry, not appropriated by individuals or agencies.
Commenting on Saturday morning’s collapse of a three-storey building at Road 2 Junction, Low-Cost Housing Estate, Umuahia, Mba-Nwoke described the incident as “ugly” and called for urgent government intervention. He urged the state to immediately dispatch relevant agencies to the site to prevent further danger, warning that two nearby structures appear unstable and could pose additional risks.
“By luck, no life may have been lost this time, but we must act fast to prevent future tragedies,” he warned.
Adding her voice, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Professor Ijeoma Ihekwumere, noted that the level of disobedience during the sanitation exercise was minimal and expressed optimism that compliance would continue to improve.
According to reports, 84 defaulters were arrested during the exercise, with 11 later discharged, including a health officer, a professor on his way to school, and nine students.
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