NAN-AE-11
Waste
By Uche Bibilari
Nyanya (FCT), Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN) Satellite Towns Development Department, Federal Capital Development Authority, will soon commence sanctioning of residents who dumped waste indiscriminately in the satellite towns.
Mrs Victoria Imande, Acting Director of the department, handed down the warning on Thursday in Abuja when officials of the department went to evacuate waste in the popular Nyanya market
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nyanya is a bustling and densely populated satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory.
Imande said the sanctions would range from payment of fines to closing down of shops especially those located near the roads.
She added that defaulters would also appear before mobile court.
She said that defaulters, who would not be able to pay the stipulated fine, would be imprisoned.
Imande said the department was planning sensitisation campaign to educate the public on how best to dispose their waste to avoid outbreak of diseases.
She said: “we have upgraded the laws and as we sensitise the people, we are telling them that after now we are going to roll out sanctions for defaulters caught doing wrong things.
“We are assuming that they are doing this because they don’t know, but we know they know what they doing.
“We are going to have mobile court; people will pay fines and go to prison where need be, as part of the sanctions.’’
The acting director advised residents against patronising waste collectors popularly known as; “maibola,“who she said, were fond of dumping waste in wrong places.
According to her, maibola are the reason for indiscriminate dumping of refuse in most satellite towns.
She said that the department had mapped out waste collection centres in communities across the FCT, saying that more of such centres where been identified.
“ We are advising residents that they don’t need to bring their waste to the roads, rather they should dump them in designated dump site and we will go and evacuate them.’’
Imande identified lack of accessible roads to link satellite towns as a major challenge to the department; a development she said, was impediment to easy evacuation of waste.
She said that the department would create a data base to enumerate houses that could be accessed as a way of addressing the situation.
The acting director said that the population of Abuja was growing at an unprecedented level, adding that daily in flock of people into the city, was also increasing waste generated.
She said that attitude of residents towards waste management was also a challenge to the department and called on residents to cultivate proper waste management culture.
Imane assured that in spite of the challenges faced by the department, waste evacuation in the six area councils of the FCT would be sustained for a cleaner environment. (NAN)
UU/EEM/AEA
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Edited by Emmanuel Mogbede and Controlled by Archibong Asuquo