By Omos Oyinbode
Not less than 250 residents in Delta State will be facing sundry charges in court as from Monday June 8 for allegedly violating the state waste collection and disposal bills.
The Delta State Coordinator of the World Bank sponsored State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) Project, Mr. Benson Ojoko, who disclosed this Friday during an enforcement campaign of proper waste disposal, as part of activities to mark the World Environment Day, said that defaulters have been served contravention notice.
The figure which cuts across the six pilot cities for the take-off of the waste disposal exercise in the state which include, Asaba, Warri, Udu, Uvwie, Sapele and Ughelli reveals that over 30 defaulters have been served contravention notice in Asaba, 40 in Udu, 30 in Sapele, 50 in Uvwie, 50 in Ughelli and over 55 in Warri.
Meanwhile, according to the state SEEFOR project coordinator, 30 of the defaulters in Asaba will be dragged to the state Chief Magistrate Court, Monday June 9, just as defaulters in other cities would follow suit within the week.
Ojoko, while affirming that the State SEEFOR was working in collaboration with the State Ministry of Environment and Waste Management Board in this direction, explained that the partnership was aimed at driving the state government’s poise in ensuring a cleaner Delta State, adding that the effort was also in line with the five point agenda of the Senator Okowa’s administration.
To guarantee ease in the payment of waste collection and disposal bills by residents in the state, Ojoko said the project was working in collaboration with Banks to deploy Point of Sale (PoS) machines for easy payment.
He said, “SEEFOR does not and is not offering free service, so, people must pay for their service”.
Also speaking on the development, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs Felicia Adun, decried the lackadaisical attitude of residents towards clean environment just as she condemned in strong terms the evasion in the payment of bills by residents in the affected areas.
She noted that indiscriminate waste disposal by the defaulters is part of the reasons behind the growing health challenge even as she bemoaned the indiscriminate dumping of waste in median.
She assured that in the renewed drive for proper waste management and disposal, all relevant agencies such as the State Ministry of Environment, Waste Management Board, Delta State SEEFOR project and Environmental Marshalls at the various local government councils would be steadfastly involved.
