The Anambra State Government has sealed several student lodges, churches, business premises and a market in the Awka South Local Government Area for violating environmental sanitation regulations as it intensified enforcement of public health and safety measures across the state.
The affected facilities include Emmanuel Lodge, Mandona Lodge, Eto Lodge, First Choice Lodge, Gift Lodge, Love Ambassadors Ministry, Dominion City, Lucky Up Shops, Don Greg UNIZIK Park and Eke Nibo Market, all located in the state capital, Awka.
The enforcement exercise, carried out under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s Operation Keep Anambra Clean initiative, also led to the arrest of several sanitation offenders, while others were directed to clean their premises for breaching the state’s environmental laws.
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Officials also ordered a comprehensive structural integrity assessment of a building at Emmanuel Lodge in Ifite after inspectors discovered visible cracks that could endanger occupants. Relevant material testing agencies are expected to determine the building’s structural stability before further action is taken.
Speaking during the operation, the commander of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra in the Awka South Local Government Area, Prince Ikechukwu Ndigwe, said inspectors uncovered serious environmental violations at Emmanuel Lodge, including the discharge of wastewater and sewage into public drainage channels.
According to him, the illegal discharge posed significant public health risks, while accumulated refuse and blocked drainage systems further worsened environmental conditions around the facility.
Ndigwe said the property’s caretaker would be prosecuted for allegedly channelling wastewater into public drains, describing the offence as a violation of the state’s environmental sanitation laws.
He added that Emmanuel Lodge was already under a valid court order authorising its closure and warned that anyone who obstructs, assaults or harasses enforcement officers during official duties would be arrested and prosecuted.
Ndigwe also disclosed that the management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, including the Dean of Student Affairs and the Student Union leadership, had been notified of the enforcement exercise to ensure compliance.
The leader of the ACTD enforcement team, Mr. Nwachukwu Obiorah, said the visible cracks observed at Emmanuel Lodge raised serious safety concerns, necessitating a detailed structural assessment to avert possible building failure.
He urged residents, particularly students, to promptly report buildings showing signs of structural distress to the appropriate authorities to safeguard lives and property.
The exercise was monitored by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Clem Aguiyi, who inspected sanitation compliance at Aroma Junction, UNIZIK Junction, Abakaliki Street, Eke Awka Market, Kwata Abattoir and Amansea Abattoir.
Aguiyi described the level of public compliance as encouraging, attributing the improvement to Governor Soludo’s State of Emergency on the Environment, which focuses on cleaner communities, improved public health and flood control through aggressive desilting of drainage channels and prompt evacuation of refuse.
He commended residents for their increased commitment to proper waste disposal and assured them that the government would sustain timely evacuation of refuse to support the sanitation campaign.
The commissioner acknowledged concerns over failed and undersized drainage infrastructure, noting that blocked, collapsed and inadequate drains remain major causes of flooding in parts of Awka. He assured residents that the ongoing statewide desilting programme would restore affected drainage systems and improve the free flow of stormwater.
Aguiyi urged residents to desist from building on drainage channels, dumping refuse into waterways and engaging in activities that obstruct water flow, stressing that environmental sanitation should become a daily responsibility rather than a monthly exercise.
The Anambra State Government reaffirmed its commitment to strict enforcement of environmental sanitation laws to ensure a cleaner, healthier and safer environment for residents.
