Makinde Declares Emergency On Waste Management In Oyo

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared a state of emergency on refuse collection and waste management in the state.

The governor’s decision follows the re-appearance of refuse and filth on streets in the state.

Makinde during an extraordinary meeting at the Executive Council Chambers in Ibadan, the state capital, said waste management has become a matter of emergency, adding that poor waste management could have wider implications on the state of health of individuals in the state.

“I am sure that most of you must have gone through our state and have noticed that as far as our solid waste management is concerned, we are all living in the midst of filth basically.

“Apart from these wastes being an eyesore, it also has wider implications as far as health is concerned, because when you have a filthy environment, all kinds of health challenges will come in. We need to declare an emergency on our solid waste management. It is a big issue for all of us and we have to take the bull by the horn. We have to take leadership.

“What I have asked to be done is to, first of all, mobilize all resources possible and we will all be out this evening (Monday evening) to do the cleanup. We have trucks and have mobilized workers and we will take off,” he said.

Makinde also warned that no one should misconstrue the exercise for showmanship, adding that a serious issue like waste disposal has to be taken with all seriousness.

“This is not for showmanship but a serious challenge that we have. If we don’t do it, I can bet that a few weeks down the line, we will see the impact at our hospitals.

“I have also heard that there are saboteurs who neatly arrange thrash on the median. Well, I wish them luck because we now have security personnel involved and anyone caught importing waste to Oyo State will be dealt with according to our environmental laws.

“I believe, from our projection, that within the next three to four weeks, we should have a permanent solution in place, a model that will be sustainable and that will also be full-proof for the saboteurs.”