Ibadan — Two of the Oyo State government’s tribunals yesterday tried 40 persons for indiscriminate refuse dumping and lack of proof of registrationwith the authorized waste evacuators. One of the tribunals tried some persons who were allegedly caught contravening the law restricting movement of persons during sanitation hours.
The state’s Ministry of Environment said the sentences attached to the offences varied, with the minimum being N2,500 and the maximum N10,000.
The state government explained that the prosecution of violators of its environmental laws had become imperative to enforce the 6th, 11th, 13th and 15th points of the Sustainable Developmental Goals.
The Chairman of the Oyo State Environmental Task Force, Assistant Commissioner of Police Francis Ojomo, disclosing these yesterday to journalists in his office, said the state government was committed to environmental sustainability and would not relent in ensuring cleanliness “because it had a ripple effect on the ecosystem.”
The task force called on all the citizens and residents of Oyo State to take responsibility on regular sanitation of their environments “as it directly impacts the society and economic growth.”
Ojomo said environmental protection was not only vital to the state, but also to the world as various international conversations centred on climate change and global warming.
He said, “The Oyo State government will do all within its power to contribute to the best global practices in environmental protection.
We have shown this with the enforcement power being brought into efforts like advocacy and campaign against environmental law violation.”
The Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, Dr Bashir Olanrewaju, assured the general public that the Seyi Makinde administration was committed to acts that would ensure safe public health.Olanrewaju expressed his displeasure on indiscriminate refuse dumping in many areas of the state and emphasised the government’s position of zero tolerance to filth and its attendant consequences.
He enjoined the public to abide by environmental laws and avoid illegal dumping of refuse by the roadside, in waterways and in unauthorized points, as the act, according to him, would attract heavy fines or jail terms, in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Source: allafrica.com
