Jesse Ese, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment has started an enlightenment programme on the existing environmental laws in the state as they plan towards generating revenue from waste and also eradicating dust bins from the state.
In a meeting which involved the ministry and other stakeholders in the state to brainstorm the way forward on the 25th of February at the Ministry’s conference hall in Yenagoa, the Commissioner of Environment, Dr. Sylvanus Abila, presented the Bayelsa State Environmental Restoration Agenda Vol. 1 to the stakeholders and tasked them to make sure it gets to everyone in the state.
He stated the he regrets whenever he sees dust bins everywhere; that it is a thing of shame to the state because the governor is trying to change the face of Bayelsa and those dust bins do not reflect the image of the governor’s vision.
He also said that when the state was created, they inherited some of the laws from the Old Rivers State, that they have formulated their own laws and need to sensitize the public because several measures will be taken.
He noted that Bayelsa is in a very devastated condition because of illegal sewage disposal, illegal refineries being undertaken by some people in the state and other unpleasant environmental misconducts.
Hon. Abila also said that Bayelsa is the Jerusalem of Ijaw nation and people cannot be allowed to build dust bins everywhere, and that those who will violate the laws would convicted or pay a fine where applicable.
Some of the punishable laws are: deposition of any substance that may hinder hinder free flow of water in a drain, leaving any motor vehicle, sand, gravel, laterite, timber, or other object in a street or highway that is capable of obstructing free flow of traffic, allowing any form of dirt to be left within 20 metres from home, office, school, and failure to provide a refuse bin which is fly-proof wherein the household, office, factory, or workshop waste may be collected for disposal, etc.
Hon. Abila called on those who deal on waste management to procure their own land and treat it with the right chemicals before embarking on business, that they should not collect people’s wastes and dump them anywhere they like.
He also called on sand dredgers to pay their tax that those who default who be fined or charged to court.
Calling on the environmental department to be vibrant in disposing their duties, Hon. Abila explained to the newly employed forestry officers the nature of their job and tasked them to be on the look out for those who cut down timbers illegally without remitting any money to the relevant agency in the state.
In his part, the SSA on Environment to the Governor, Hon. Timi Okoinyan, stated that the government is ready to work with all and committed towards the development of the state.
Hon. Timi also tasked the ministry to make sure a proper identification method is put in place in order to know who is really from the Environmental Sanitation Department so that fake people would not make money from citizens.
