Kwara govt. prosecutes 300 environmental sanitation law violators

By Arowona Abdulazeez, Ilorin

The Kwara State Government has arrested over 300 people for immediate prosecution for violating the State Environmental Sanitation Law.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Abosede Olaitan Buraimoh, disclosed this over the weekend, during the monitoring of the monthly excercise, in Ilorin metropolis.

The Commissioner, who led the enforcement team alongside the Chairman, Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Taskforce, Air Vice Marshal, Ishaq Balogun, (rtd), warned that the current dispensation has zero tolerance for environmental pollution and would stop at nothing to keep Kwara clean.

Buraimoh explained that the need to arrest the violators became necessary, in order to put an end to environmental nuisance in the state.

The Commissioner, who was appalled at people’s attitude during the exercise that despite meetings held with various environmental stakeholders, sensitization, as well as publicity on radio regarding the monthly exercise, wondered why they still failed to adhere to sanitation rules of staying at home to clean up and tidy their surroundings.

“It is disheartening that despite efforts of this administration at providing an enabling and sustainable environment to residents, people still went ahead violating the environmental laws of the state, not minding the fact that a filthy environment poses threats to individual lives, forgetting that when epidemics break out, it knows no bound,” the Commissioner added.

Buraimoh frowned at the act of indiscipline exhibited by people who refused to comply with the environmental law, warning that the subsequent exercise will equally be strictly enforced and monitored by state officials.

She emphasized further that the enforcement of sanitation law will continue until people understand the need to take care of their environment and the implementation of the goal of sanitation exercise is achieved.

“As citizens, proper waste disposal is a way of exercising your responsibilities as well as supporting government at putting an end to the scourge of filthy environment,” she stressed.

Earlier, the Chairman, Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Taskforce, Air Vice Marshal, Ishaq Balogun, (rtd), strongly warned everyone to henceforth comply with the Environmental Sanitation Laws, otherwise they should be ready to face the full wrath of law.

Those in the Commissioner’s monitoring team included Col Kayode Umar (rtd); the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Pastor Abraham Kola Ojo and Director General, Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA), Alhaji Saad Dan-Musa among others.