Kwara ministry to introduce sanitary mobile courts

Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, Kwara State Governor

ALHAJI Amasa Al-Amin, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Kwara, said on Thursday that the state government would soon introduce sanitary mobile courts to ensure proper disposal of refuse.

Al-Amin, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin, noted that proper refuse disposal was ideal for a clean and healthy society.

“The past administration had lots of plans to ensure proper disposal of refuse in the state, but they could not execute all of them.

“The present government has shown some interest in executing these plans to have a clean and healthy environment.

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“One of such plans is ensuring that there is a mobile court to penalise those who refuse to dispose their garbage on a regular basis,” he said.

The permanent secretary said that the United Nations Strategic Development Goals standard of 40 persons to one sanitary officer should be maintained.

“To have minimal discomfort and maximum comfort, these plans need to be executed,” he said.

Al-Amin noted that the sanitary officers initiative in the state, at inception, was planned for 20 routes due to the level of development then.

He said that the figure had now been increased to cover 60 routes.

“There is a need for more sanitary officers to be employed to cover all the routes and collect refuse from homes and offices.

“This will ensure cleanliness and orderliness in the state, and anybody who refused to obey the rules will be penalised,” he said.

Al-Amin noted that the method was effective in the past, saying that it would be more effective if re-introduced.

“It will make people dispose of their refuse properly, cooperate with the sanitary officers and obey the rules of refuse disposal, as whoever violates any of the rules will be prosecuted,” he said.

According to him, it is only when there is proper disposal of refuse that there can be a clean environment.

“This will prevent lots of diseases and havoc emanating from the wrong disposal of refuse in the society,” the permanent secretary said.

S-Davies Wande