About 80 persons have been arrested in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, by the state’s Environmental Task Force, for violating the state’s environmental laws.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Abiodun Oni, revealed that the Task Force Team apprehended offenders at Gate, Aleshinloye, Eleyele, Sabo, Apata, Iwo-road, Ojoo, Moniya, U.I-Agbowo, Sango and General Gas areas of Ibadan, the state capital.
According to the statement, Chairmen of the state’s Environmental Protection Tribunal, Saheed Ganiyu and Kunle Abimbola, in their separate judgements, disclosed that the eighty persons were caught dumping refuse in unauthorised places, hence were found guilty of violating the environmental laws of the state.
Similarly, the statement says three of the offenders were caught using vehicles to mobilise wastes to unauthorised areas, while two were arraigned for obstructing the Environmental Task Force Team from performing their civic duties and were fined accordingly from ₦2,000 to ₦40,000, depending on the degree of their offences.
Indiscriminate refuse dumping
Meanwhile, as part of the efforts of the Oyo State Government to resolve the menace of indiscriminate dumping of wastes on road medians, drainages and waterways, the statement disclosed that the government had held talks with the Hausa leaders headed by the Sarkin Hausawa of Ibadanland, Ali Dahiru Zungeru.
In the statement, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Abiodun Oni, who led a team from his Ministry to the Palace of the Sarkin Hausawa at Sabo during the week, noted that indiscriminate dumping of wastes on road medians, particularly by under-aged children had become a common practice at odd hours within the Sabo community.
He, hence, warned the community to desist from the act, as it poses a lot of environmental threats and exposes children to various risks in the state.
“The impact of indiscriminate dumping of wastes in an open space and street begging to the health and socio-economy of the state is indisputable. For instance, exposed wastes have been known to factor communicable diseases that may end up requiring medical attention. Thus, maintaining proper hygiene is very important to us, failure to uphold some level of hygiene may lead to serious health hazards to us as individuals and persons living around us” the statement read.
The commissioner further stressed, in the statement, that though the community was improving in its environmental sanitation exercise, the state government desired for it to receive the award of the cleanest environment in the nearest future.
The Sarkin of Ibadanland, Ali Dahiru Zungeru, in his remarks, appreciated the government for recognising the community while also pledging the community’s support for any of activities of the present administration in the state.
Emmanuel Ukoh
