Oyo Government Warns Residents against Dumping Refuse on Roads

The Oyo State Government has warned residents to stop dumping refuse on medians and road sides, saying any one caught in the act would be punished according to the extant law.

The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Mojeed Mogbonjubola, stated this, on Tuesday, during a visit and monitoring of the clearing of some of the major roads in Ibadan, the state capital.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, Mogbonjubola said in the bid of the government to ensure an environmental friendly state, the Ministry had commenced the clearing and evacuation of bushes and dumps on major road medians, declaring that the present administration was poised at ensuring a clean environment across the state.

He however charged residents to collaborate with government at achieving the noble feat, through environmental law compliance.

The Commissioner further warned residents, passersby, and traders that henceforth, walkways, roadsides, and highways would not be allowed to be used as trading zones, urging the occupants of such areas to vacate, so the infrastructure could serve the purposes they were built for.

He explained that the road medians, which had been ignorantly misconstrued for dumpsites, were deliberately and purposely constructed for the safety of pedestrians while crossing roads, the allowance of smoother traffic flow, the reduction of risks of head-on collisions, the enhancement of aesthetics and the pleasant view of the roads and environment at large.

In another dimension, Mogbonjubola reemphasised the commitment of the present administration towards making all public schools conducive for learning, disclosing that all shanties, illegal structures and shops attached to school buildings would be removed at the expiration of the deadline issued to the owners.

The Commissioner affirmed that the state government would not hesitate to enforce sanction on individuals, corporate bodies or groups committing environmental infractions, irrespective of how highly placed.

Areas monitored by the Commissioner include: Mokola-Dugbe-Ring Road, and Mokola-Sango-U.I-Ojoo axis.

He clarified that the evacuation exercise would be carried out in all the zones in the state.