JCI cleanup Oja’ba in readiness for World Cleanup Day

For people that have businesses in Oja Oba, a major market in Ibadan and residents of that area, filth is not a new thing. Indeed, it is a way of life and they are not bothered whether their streets are littered or submerged in waste. And many believe the best waste disposal practice is to dump it on street medians for government agencies to pack.

All encouragements and advocacy to encourage them clean up their environment seems to have fallen on deaf ears and this is why they found it laughable when members of the JCI Oluyole left the comfort of their homes on Saturday during the environmental sanitation exercise to clean up the market and its environs as part of the sustainable projects of the JCI and a means of contributing its quota to the community.

The project which is a warm up to the World Cleanup Day coming up in September, is in line with the overall mission of the JCI which is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create a positive change and a collaborative effort between the Oluyole Chapter of Junior Chamber International, Oyo State Solid Waste Management Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp as well as the Civil and Military Relationship department of the Nigeria Armed Forces, Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Ojoo Ibadan.

2018 is the year of the biggest civic action in the world and on September 15, millions of volunteers around the globe will come together and clean up millions of tons of trash as part of activities marking the World Cleanup Day. And for the first time, Nigeria will be a part of the global movement with over 150 other countries and 20 million citizens around the globe to organize a national cleanup in all the 36 states of the federation on a single day.

And in order to create awareness and get more people involved, JCI organized the Saturday warm-up programme and were supported by the state waste management authorities and the NSCDC led by the Mapo Divisional Officer.

JCI members cleaned drainages and the street, shops as well as packed waste littering the area while residents watched. They also held talks with market leaders on the importance of maintain a clean environment.

The JCI campaign on Saturday sensitized the people on the dangers of improper wastes management and the need to prevent epidemics and flooding as a result of blocked drainages.

Speaking on the cleanup exercise tagged, “Let’s Do it Campaign, the 2018 Chapter President of the Oluyole JCI, Abiodun Kodaolu, stated that it is not only about cleaning up waste but also to raise awareness and implement true change to achieve a clean and healthy society, adding that the World Cleanup Day is a wakeup call for everyone in the whole world. It is an opportunity to showcase how young people can take action towards making our environment better.

“We are doing this to create awareness about the World Cleanup Day in September. We want people in Oyo state to join hands and participate in the effort to clean up the world and rid it of waste; we also want to ensure a clean market because this is where our food comes from and food products in a dirty environment is an epidemic waiting to happen. That is why we didn’t only clean up but we also sensitized them,” he stated.

The JCI Director of Project, Kehinde Aguntasolo stated that the programme is a let’s do it campaign to teach people practically and not just by words of mouth. “It is a let’s do it project in preparation for the upcoming World cleanup Day and until then, this project will be quarterly and focused on dirty areas within the city. I can say we achieved 80 per cent of what we set out to achieve, this is the first one, it will get better,” she explained.

Also speaking, Temi Alade-Mustapha, the National Convention Director, JCI Nigeria and immediate past President of JCI Oluyole, stated that the importance of a clean environment cannot be overemphasized, adding that it is part of the JCI creed not only to fill perceived vacuum in the community but also ensure that it helps to improve the quality of life of the people.