The order handed down by Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State for a total lockdown in the state to enable residents to clear gutters and drainage in all parts of the state appeared to have recorded a huge success as residents complied.
The sanitation exercise, which commenced as early as 6 a.m. and ended by 10 a.m., saw everybody participate actively with keen interest, even as many motorists who attempted to flout the order were arrested by the police and other security agencies for questioning.
However, the arrests were viewed as arbitrary when the security agencies started impounding circulation vehicles conveying national newspapers down to the commercial city of Onitsha from the neighbouring Asaba, Delta State, for distribution to newspaper vendors, contrary to Soludo’s order which exempted those on essential duties like journalists and health workers from being arrested.
Confirming the success of the exercise in a telephone chat, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, told newsmen that the exercise would be carried out periodically to ensure total removal of all the debris in all nooks and crannies of the state to ensure healthy living.
