Abia arrests 114 sanitation defaulters

The Abia State Government said it arrested 114 defaulters during the July edition of the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise held on Saturday in Aba and Umuahia, as it announced plans to establish a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch.

In Umuahia, 64 defaulters were arrested, while nine people, including students travelling for lectures and those on essential duties, were discharged on health and other legitimate grounds. Three offenders were ordered to perform community service.

In Aba, more than 50 sanitation defaulters were arrested.

The July sanitation exercise witnessed an impressive turnout in Umuahia, with residents seen clearing gutters and cleaning their surroundings, while tippers were deployed to evacuate debris.

Speaking while monitoring the exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Ogbonna, expressed satisfaction with residents’ participation and called for its sustenance.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Ikechukwu Oriuwa, said the government was considering establishing a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch across the state to sustain improvements in sanitation and environmental cleanliness.

“The ministry is considering establishing a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch across the state in line with the present administration’s commitment to sustaining the giant strides it has made in the area of sanitation and environmental cleanliness of the state,” he said.

Ogbonna advised residents to cultivate the habit of keeping their surroundings clean at all times, avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse and reiterated the determination of the Alex Otti administration to prioritise all sectors of the state.

In Aba, the sanitation exercise also recorded an impressive turnout in most parts of the city.

Speaking through the ministry’s Zonal Officer in charge of the Aba Zone, Mrs Amarachi Goodluck, the commissioner commended traders in various markets for complying with the directive to clear their drainage channels ahead of debris evacuation.

He, however, criticised the attitude of some residents in the Osisioma axis, alleging that they waited for the sanitation period to end before moving about, while others ignored movement restrictions.

The commissioner called on health officers in Osisioma and Obingwa Local Government Areas to actively participate in future exercises. He also commended volunteers enforcing restrictions on human and vehicular movement in some areas, warned them against extortion, and urged transport union leaders to mobilise their members for the exercise instead of remaining idle.

Reacting after monitoring the exercise in Aba, the head of the ASEPA Monitoring Task Force, Mr Praise Onuoha, expressed satisfaction with residents’ participation.

He, however, condemned an attack on ASEPA officials in Aba, saying the agency remained committed to ensuring the city’s overall cleanliness. He urged residents to comply with government directives on environmental sanitation to avoid sanctions.

In separate interviews, residents, including Mr Robby Onyema and Mrs Ego Odinkemere, commended the state government for its efforts to keep Aba clean and appealed to ASEPA to intensify the evacuation of debris during sanitation exercises.