The Kogi State Government has banned the dumping of refuse in authorised places across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
The government said anyone found guilty would be jailed for three months or pay an option of a fine of N25,000.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Victor Omafaiye, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
He said the new Kogi State Sanitation and Environmental Health Law of 2022 signed by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State recently will be implemented with immediate effect.
Omofaiye warned the general public to desist from dumping waste on the road median, public drainages (gutter), open spaces, or any unauthorised places besides the designated spots in the metropolis.
He said, “Landlords and landladies, as a matter of urgency, should provide toilets in their houses to prevent open defecation across the state.
“The new Kogi State Sanitation and Environmental Health Law of 2022 stipulates a fine of N25,000.00 or 3 months imprisonment for anyone caught violating this new law.
“Cleanliness, they say, is next to godliness, the duty of every citizen is to clean his/her environment by cutting overgrown weeds, desilt the drainages, and dump their refuse waste in Government approved spots for final collection and disposal.
“Shop owners, hawkers, landlords, tenants, and the general public take note and do the needful. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Let us be environmentally disciplined to prevent diseases, floods and other preventable health challenges.”
