NAN-H-8
Cleanliness
By Douglas Okoro
Abakaliki, Aug. 29, 2017 (NAN) A Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), City Cleaners International (CCI), has urged
residents of Abakaliki to imbibe environmental cleanliness consciousness to stay safe and healthy.
The Executive Director of the NGO, Mr James Aja, made the call during sensitisation campaign on Tuesday in Abakaliki to drum up support for “keep Ebonyi clean” programme of the state government.
Aja, who described environment as “one of man’s greatest gifts from God”, said conscious efforts must be made to safeguard and protect it from abuse, degradation and neglect.
According to him, the NGO is committed to promoting and enhancing values and actions that will sustain the culture of environmental cleanliness through regular environmental clean-up in different parts of the state.
He commended government’s efforts in ensuring clean and disease-free environment and urged residents of the state to join in the crusade against environmental abuse and degradation.
He said “CCI is a non profit, non governmental organisation committed to promoting and enhancing healthy and hygienic environment through regular clean-up of the environment.
“The organisation is partnering state government to make the capital city clean and safe for our habitation through regular clean up of the Abakaliki capital city.
“The environment is one of man’s greatest gifts from nature and we must make conscious efforts to ensure that we engage in activities that will constantly promote environmental hygiene and safety standards.
“Again, what we do is to use our activities to complement the efforts of government because the task of environmental cleanliness and protection should be everyone’s duty and must not be left to government alone.”
He said the organisation had clean-up more than 40 blocked water drains in Abakaliki and other parts of the state and also cleared bushes growing along major highways and street in Abakaliki.
“We have identified and clean-up no fewer than 40 blocked water drains in Abakaliki and other parts of the state including clearing of bushes along major highways and streets in the state.
“The organisation is also assisting government in clearing refuse dump sites and engages in other activities that promote the beauty and aesthetics of the capital city.”
Aja appealed to residents to shun unwholesome environmental activities that could jeopardise their health.
He also appealed to them to regularly keep their surroundings clean and not wait till the monthly sanitation exercise to clean.
“Malaria and most other germs and diseases that attack man breed in dirty and unhygienic environment and the germs and diseases are spread to other parts of our environment.
“We must not dump refuse in an unauthorized places including water drainages and on the roads; avoid open defecation and regularly clear bushes and grasses close to our premises.” (NAN)
ODO/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu