Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Roseline Konya, has enjoined refuse contractors to justify the N100 million monthly spending on sanitation in Port Harcourt metropolis by the government by living up to their responsibilities.
She also expressed the hope that with the inauguration of the local government technical committee, made up of five members from each local government area in the state, Rivers would be devoid of refuse heaps.
She spoke on Monday in Port Harcourt during the inauguration of the 115-member Local Government Technical Committee on Environmental Sanitation.
Urging the local councils to ensure cleanliness of their areas, Konya noted that without the monthly sanitation exercise, the volume of refuse generated by the residents would have been outrageous.
Inaugurating the committee, the state Deputy Governor, Sir Gabriel Toby, said the government had invested much in the exercise, pointing out that more hands were required to complement what had been done.
Toby lamented that people have lost the age-long value of keeping their surroundings clean hence the government’s decision to re-orientate work ethics towards inculcating sanitation consciousness into the populace.
He, however, requested local council chairmen to provide special allowances for members of the committees to enable them perform effectively, and enjoined environmental health officers to ensure strict adherence to environmental sanitation.
In his speech, Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment and Sanitation, Mr Ipalibo Harry, said the technical committee had already begun work in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment. According to him, despite the volume of waste generated in the state capital, the committee was committed to ensuring cleanliness of Port Harcourt and environs.