…Maintain clean, healthy and liveable Awka – Anagor pleads with market chairmen
The Transition Chairman of Awka South Local Government, Hon. ThankGod Anagor has urged Estate Chairman, Market Chairmen and shop owners to curb the menace of incessant dump of refuse especially along Zik’s Avenue.
Hon. Anagor while speaking at a strategic meeting with market stackholders and shop owners on the need to maintain clean, healthy and liveable Awka, urged them to come up with ideas on how best to curb incessant refuse dump. He stated that this is one of numerous ways government engages the public to harness their ideas on what works better at the grassroot and implement them.
Shop owners reacted differently but positively. The suggestions ranged from having a spot for refuse dump especially inside Awka villages to providing extra subcontractors to enable efficient work done in the communities.
Mr. Ezeneme Nwamaka, Daniel Ifesinachi Okoye and Ikenna Kingsley who were shop owners, in their separate speeches, commended the Mayor of Awka for the meeting.
Among stakeholders who addressed the crowd were Hon. Ikechukwu Ndigwe (Mbuze Awka) who noted that that was not the first and would not be the last of such town hall meetings to engage stakeholders. He stated without that negligence and ignorance were among the top reasons people dump refuse carelessly. He urged them to desist from such act as perpetrators would be punished according to the law.
Hon. Mike Ozoemena, Managing Director of the Anambra State Waste Management Board,ASWAMA, charged the shop owners to help the government arrest the situation by being the government’s eyes in keeping watch for the perpetrators who dump refuse at the undesignated places.
The Commissioner for Local Government, Hon. Collins Nwabunne while addressing the Zik Avenue shop owners, stated that government would constantly engage them in meetings and together, they would come up with laws to help put an end to the needless refuse disposal in Awka. He assured them that government will provide at least 3 toll numbers that can be called to report offenders.
He went ahead to state that each shop along Zik avenue should have a waste bin. This decision was borne out of the shop owners’ suggestions.
“There will be grace period before enforcement. The village heads will be engaged to come up with places where each village should dump their refuse to the vehicles,” He submitted.
