By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Edo State Government has launched a new cleanup campaign to strengthen ongoing efforts by the government to transform Edo into the cleanest State in the Country, in line with its Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) Agenda.
The exercise tagged “Cleanup MEGA” commenced in Benin City and will be expanded to other local government areas of the State to ensure a cleaner and healthier Edo State.
As part of the exercise, the Edo State Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Architect Joshua Omokhodion led other members of the team to clean up major markets, roads, and streets, among others
Other members of the team are health officials from Oredo Local Government Area, the Edo Waste Management Board, the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Edo State, and the Edo Tipper Drivers Association of Nigeria, among others.
Architect Omokhodion while addressing journalists after the exercise in Benin City, said the exercise is part of renewed efforts to transform the State into the cleanest and most conducive place to live in.
He said the programme which is in phases will be expanded, noting that “this first phase is a pilot scheme and a general model for the entire state. First to ensure that there is Monday to Monday cleaning of all the markets across the state.”
The Commissioner continued: “However, we would graduate into a monthly environmental sanitation exercise. The idea is that Mr. Godwin Obaseki said in the year 2030, Edo State would become a destination where people live in good health and their general well-being would be guaranteed. The only way to achieve this is to start a programme that makes Edo State as habitable as possible unlike what it used to be in the past.”
Omokhodion, while urging the people to participate actively in the exercise, thanked the Tipper Drivers’ Association of Nigeria and the National Union of Road Transport Workers for their collaboration in the provision of additional trucks to support the evacuation of debris in some of the areas visited.
Earlier, the General Manager, Edo State Waste Management Board (ESWMB), Charles Imariagbe, said: “We call it re-enactment because we once had that practice in the past. It is going to be a routine cleanup exercise.”
The Waste Management boss noted that trucks were designated to Siluko in Egor Local Government Area; Oregbeni and Ramat Park axis as well as other far-reaching locations within the Benin metropolis to ensure a hitch-free sanitation exercise.
According to him, “It is one of the mandates of Mr. Governor to see that Edo State becomes one of the cleanest states in the country. Therefore, we are telling the people to take responsibility by participating actively in the exercise. Going forward, the task force is going to reach out to traders and ensure compliance and create awareness of the consequences of violating the environmental laws.”
