Rethinking the Clean-up Exercise in Nigeria

The practice of designating one day in a month as a general clean – up day has assumed the status of a culture in this country. It is the day we try to do all the cleaning we failed to do in the past one month. On such a day all the rubbish that was dumped inside the drains are scooped out to make room for the ones we plan to deposit there right after the clean-up exercise. All the obscure corners of markets and open places that have served as dump sites are emptied out. On such clean-up days, the roads and streets are blocked with refuse from all nooks and crannies of the city. The original concept is that pay-loaders and refuse trucks will be handy to cart away the refuse as they are being generated. What is on ground however, owing to the endemic corruption in the system is that adequate arrangement for the carting away of refuse is not made before announcing a clean-up day. The result is that the state of the city on clean-up days and many days and even weeks after is indeed a sorry sight.

The problem of rapid generation of refuse is one of the evils of urbanization. The rural communities manage their refuse much better than the urban areas. The reason is simply that the population in such places grows naturally, mainly through birth. They can afford to manage refuse in the same way their forebears managed theirs because the population is stable. Urbanization is characterized by the massive influx of people into an area that is already saturated with inhabitants. This astronomical and abnormal increase in the number of people living in a place affects every aspect of life. Advanced nations of the world are so called because they factor these evils of urbanization into their plans for their cities. They plan these cities to make them truly habitable. Read more

Imo State Government Continues Demolition in Owerri

In a belated effort to carry the good people of Imo state along, the Special Adviser (SA) to Governor Ikedi Ohakim on Sanitation And Transport, Chief Willie Amadi has started a media campaign to create awareness and solicit support in the ongoing demolition exercise in Owerri.

According to the SA, “we are not using force but persuasion. The idea is to make the Imo environment conform to civilised standard” Furthermore he said in line with the CLEAN & GREEN initiative of the governor, the government has started planting of ornamental trees along the major roads in Owerri. Earlier in the week, the SA unveiled to newsmen the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) Law, which he said its implementation will be constantly reviewed to amend the irrelevant sections that will occasion hardship to the people.

A seasoned traveller to Owerri, will note that Owerri is an old civil servant city, with the major roads set and will not accommodate any tree without massive destruction to the roads/streets. These are the major roads in Owerri. Okigwe Rd, Orlu Rd, Douglas Rd and Weathral Rd. Where along these roads does his excellence want to plant ornamental trees?

One cannot help but wonder why the state government is putting the cart before the horse. The government undertook massive demolition with zeal akin to that of el-Rufai in F.C.T.,without carrying the people along. This belated effort is another media jamboree for which the Ohakim government has come to be known with. On the pages of the national dailies, Imo state is painted in glossy colours yet a visit to the state capital belies all these paper victories of the governor.

Can good men of Imo state please arouse the State House of Assembly from their over one year comatose? The time has come for these Honourable members to take their oversight functions more seriously before the executive ruin the state beyond redemption.

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