The Edo State Government and relevant stakeholders, including market women, religious leaders, and community leaders, have signed a 10-point resolution to keep the State clean and green.
The stakeholders reached the agreement during an engagement on environmental sanitation and pollution control tagged: ‘Edo must be clean and serene’, held at the New Festival Hall in Government House, Benin City, the State capital.
The Edo State Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Hon. Joshua Omokhodion, urged for collaboration among stakeholders, which was the best way to solve the challenges of waste disposal in Edo State.
He said a mobile court has been set up on environmental issues where defaulters will be prosecuted so as to serve as a deterrent to those who flout environmental laws.
“The governor in his wisdom said his aspiration is for Edo State to be the best place to work, do business and live before 2050. To achieve this, the environment must play a pivotal role by being clean.”
A representative of the Arewa Community, Kabiru Abbas expressed appreciation to the State Government for the initiative but stressed that waste managers often fail to evacuate refuse from the streets.
The high point of the engagement was the signing of the 10-point resolution on how to keep the environment and State clean by leaders of various groups present.
The points include: “No indiscriminate dumping of refuse on road median, walkway; all market to be kept clean or shut down; no burning of refuse as offenders will be apprehended and prosecuted/fined; no littering or throwing out litters from vehicles; mobile Court set up to prosecute offenders; no noise pollution, amongst others.”
