By Modupe Gbadeyanka
On Wednesday, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State led top officials of the state on a road show to sensitise the people on the preparedness of the state to begin the enforcement of environmental sanitation laws.
At each stop, the Governor said he decided to lead the train to underscore the importance attached to the environmental sanitation and urban renewal flagship programmes of the administration.
The campaign, which took Mr Ajimobi and his team to markets in Bere, Oja Oba, Bode, Molete and Challenge, is expected to continue on Thursday (today) in other areas of the state.
Addressing the traders and residents, the Governor warned them to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse, refuse burning and other violations of the state’s new sanitation laws, which he said would be fully enforced beginning from February 2.
Advising the residents to comply with the law, he said that violators would be brought to justice irrespective of their status.
Mr Ajimobi said, “As we have been doing earlier, we have come again on environmental sanitation sensitization to make our people know that Ibadan should be one of the cleanest cities in Nigeria. We want Ibadan to be aesthetically friendly and environmentally attractive to investors.
“We want people to know that this sensitization has three goals; one is the health goal, a clean environment is conducive to good health; the third one has to do with invitation to investors, when investors know you have a clean environment, they will certainly come.
“As you can see now, we are doing road network with dualization of all entrances into the state and major cities across the state. This form of modernization will make our state the preferred destination for investors.
“What is important to us for now is that all our people must join hands with us and make Oyo State a better place. We want a good state that we can all be proud of and I’m happy that my people are very supportive.”
The Governor said that the state could not afford to go back to the era when Ibadan, the state capital, was adjudged as one of the dirtiest cities in the country.
The Oyo State Environmental Laws prescribes imposition of fine and jail terms for indiscriminate dumping of refuse, street trading, building structures on the water ways and under high-tension cables.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale