Chairman, Umuahia North Local Government Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Highness, Eze Innocent Nwaigwe, has tasked the Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Sanitation and Protection Agency, Umuahia zone, Mr Ambrose Jonah, to educate residents in his area of operation on the need for proper refuse disposal through awareness and sensitization programmes.
The royal father gave the advice when the ASEPA DG paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Ohuhu Umuahia, the state capital, on Saturday.
He pointed out that ASEPA must work hard to revive the culture of cleanliness in the state through proper refuse management initiatives.
Urging the DG to put a monitoring team in place to ensure that people who flout the rules guiding refuse disposal in Umuahia are disciplined and made to change their attitude, the monarch reminded the ASEPA DG that the success or failure of his performance will be in public for all to see, therefore charging him to look for people who can help him deliver on the assignment.
He said, “Create more awareness and let us see if we can create a culture that will make our people understand that it’s an abomination to dump refuse indiscriminately because it’s not the best practice.
“Drive a program that would make people know that it’s irritating to be dropping refuse from moving vehicles and at odd places. In Igbo land there are rules guiding refuse disposal. It cannot be disposed anyhow and anywhere.
“You can also establish a sanitation enforcement team to monitor the compliance of the people to rules guiding refuse disposal.
“The greatest problem of the government anytime, anywhere is refuse management. The problem is usually with the urban cities. Most of the people dumping the refuse indiscriminately do that at night and people may not know where they are coming from.
“Those living in the rural communities have their own rules on refuse disposal.
“Previously, domestic refuse were disposed in the farms because it served as manure, but because of plastic bags and bottles, nobody wants it in his/her farm again because of the damage plastic does to crops.”
The royal father promised to liaise with traditional rulers in the urban area to create awareness among the community that whoever was arrested while disposing refuse indiscriminately will produce his/her traditional ruler before he/she can be released.
Earlier the ASEPA DG said he visited the monarch to seek for his advice, support and blessings to enable him succeed in his assignment.
He added that he wanted to create partnership among ASEPA, the state government and traditional rulers on the need to keep the state clean.
He therefore urged Eze Nwaigwe to assist him and his team to reach out to other traditional rulers in the local government, adding that he knows that people listen to traditional rulers and obey them.
He said, “I was appointed on February 12 as the Deputy General Manager of ASEPA, Umuahia zone by Governor Alex Otti.
“The governor said he gave me the appointment because of my character and I assure him I will not fail.
“There is no way I can commence operation without seeking for your blessings. That is why I called the Deputy Mayor of Umuahia North Local Government Area, Mr Ama Okechukwu Anthony, to accompany me to seek for your blessings. I know I cannot succeed in my assignment without your advice, support and blessings.
“We can’t do without the traditional rulers; it’s those who do not know the value of the traditional rulers that will say they are of no importance to them.
“Our mandate is to make Abia one of the neatest states in Nigeria. The governor is doing his part. We have started desilting all the gutters and evacuating the refuse at the same time.
“We are also making sure that the entry point of the state is very neat.
I know that your advice and prayer will help us succeed.”
