Owners of abandoned Trucks and Containers on Ojoo-Iwo Road Express
axis have been warned to take the vehicles off the road sides in the
next 48 hours or risk facing sanctions from the Oyo State Government.
The Chairman of the State’s Environmental Task Force Committee and
Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, retired Commissioner of
Police Fatai Owoseni, made this known on Sunday, while monitoring the
evacuation of heaps of refuse on the Ojoo-Iwo road express way
organised by Union of Tipper and Quarry Employers of Nigeria (UTQEN),
Oyo State chapter.
While speaking during the clean-up exercise, which was held at the
Ojoo expressway and its environs, Owoseni commended the initiative of
the Association in assisting the Government to make the environment
cleaner and safer.
He enjoined other associations to emulate the UTQEN in supporting the
State Government to make the State habitable for all and sundry.
He said: “I appreciate the Union, which joined us in this mission,
donating their trucks freely for us to work today and for bringing out
their members for this exercise.
“I also will appeal to the good people of this State to desist from
dropping refuse just anywhere anyhow. The median along the road is not
the proper place to drop refuse. Everybody in the neighbourhood should
key into getting contractors, the PSPs to pick their refuse. This has
been the practice but people stopped it at a certain period of time.
So, they should support the initiative of the State Government to make
Oyo State, especially Ibadan.”
Owoseni noted that over 20 trucks were brought out by the Union to rid
the axis of refuse and filth, saying: “It is a good initiative that we
have seen an organised body supporting the efforts of Governor
Makinde. They brought out about 20 trucks this morning with their
members to join us in this process. If we have people buying into
government’s efforts like this, we will get everything cleared in no
small time.
“The most challenging thing is the buy-in of our people. We have been
doing a lot of enlightenment. We met with different market leaders to
sensitise them and let them know that everybody must join the state in
getting rid of this refuse and sustaining the effort.
“We are also advising the people on the need to adopt the system that
has been in place; using the contractors and PSP but it has been a
herculean task.”
He charged the people of the State to desist from indiscriminate
dumping of refuse on the medians and roads, urging them to embrace the
culture of waste-bagging, which he said would play a significant role
in eliminating the challenge of indiscriminate waste dumping in the
State.
Owoseni maintained that the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration
had Zero Tolerance for indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the state,
stating that it was already making progress in the area of refuse
disposal and management.
