Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Private waste collectors authorised by the Oyo State government have been asked to renew their contracts on or before Friday, June 10, 2022.
This directive was given by the Commissioner for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Abiodun Oni, who said the action was to actualize the vision of keeping Oyo State clean.
He said at the moment, all contracts signed by waste collectors under the private sector participation (PSP) programme have been cancelled, meaning any PSP operator working in the state without the contract renewal is operating illegally.
At a meeting with stakeholders on Friday, the Commissioner said the government intends to partner with hands that will yield a proper waste management system in the state.
“We are tired of using the same approach without getting results,” he said, stressing that there have been instances of heaps of refuse in open spaces, thereby causing embarrassment and posing threats to the health of residents in the state.
However, he assured residents that the state government was taking holistic measures to ensure that the state experiences a turn-around in the environmental sector, announcing that Governor Seyi Makinde has approved the appointment of a new Waste Management Consultant, Mottainai Recycling Africa, who will see to the day to day running of the disposal mechanism in the state.
Also addressing stakeholders at the gathering, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry, Mrs Modupe Adeleye, revealed that the directive on the re-application of the PSP operators was to move the state forward and ensure a cleaner and healthier environment, enjoining all the stakeholders to work with the state government in actualizing this agenda.
In another development, the state government has again embarked on enforcement to caution traders towards improving sanitation within the environment and also checkmating traffic congestion.
Mr Oni, while calling on the traders to remain law abiding and be peaceful when carrying out their legitimate businesses, also stated that this present administration was poised at maintaining and sustaining the state ecosystem towards ensuring a clean and green environment that would be attracting investors to thrive in Oyo State.
Similarly, the Oyo State Government has sealed a filling station for allegedly violating the environmental laws and failure to carry out the state’s weekly sanitation exercise.
The petrol station located at Gate in Ibadan was also accused of accommodating a filthy drainage lane which environmental officers claimed exposes residents to health hazards and could also pose an environmental threat to people’s health if not timely addressed.
