From Esther Akaa, Lafia
Nasarawa State Government says it has arrested 22 persons for flouting the state environmental sanitation laws, vowing that it will continue to adopt stringent measures to ensure strict enforcement of the laws.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Hon Musa Ibrahim stated this on Saturday while briefing Journalists after monitoring the monthly environmental sanitation in Lafia.
Hon Ibrahim who stressed the need for residents to observe the exercise also said that most environmental disasters in the state were caused by human factor especially building on water ways, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other activities that pose great danger to environment.
He, however commended some of the residents for compliance ,noting the monthly sanitation exercise was important inorder to keep away from all forms of diseases as well as avoid flooding.
“People in the state are cooperating, if you observe carefully you will say the compliance level rates from 75 to 80%.
“Today’s sanitation is in two perspective, first to clean the environment preparatory to the warning of the Federal Goverment to flooding, secondly it’s a sanitation commemorating Nigeria’s independence day and when Nasarawa State will be 24 years old.So all the local governments must be kept clean.
“Cleanliness they say is next to godliness and so if you are cleaning your environment you won’t experience any epidemic or any spread of disease of any kind,” the commissioner said.
He, therefore called on the people of the state to continue to observe the sanitation laws by keeping their surroundings clean , warning that violators will not be spared.
Also speaking, the Chief Prosecution Officer of the Mobile Court in Lafia, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed disclosed that 22 persons were arrested for flouting the laws while 19 were prosecuted by the court.
“Due to the natural phenomenon that happened over night, many did not comply to the sanitation exercise and definitely others were arrested but generally the compliance level is very low today. Thus, 22 persons were arrested and 19 of them were prosecuted accordingly.
“As part of our efforts to prevent further occurrence of flood in the state, the Nasarawa State Waste Management Bureau has taken the challenge of clearing drainages . For instance in Karu, Keffi and even in Lafia you will observe that people have started removing refuse from their drainages and the Waste Managers come and evacuate them.
“So we have at least 95% compliance as regards to the issue of flooding and we will ensure that our environmental officers in all the 13 local government areas and 16 development areas continue to educate citizens of the state as regards to environmental exercise in the state,” Alhaji Mohammed concluded.
