Edo State Waste Management Board in collaboration with private waste managers have stepped up the Operation “Clean Up Edo’ campaign on major streets in Benin City, Edo State capital, charging residents on maintaining a clean and healthy environment.
Addressing journalists during the exercise, General Manager, Edo State Waste Board, Mr Charles Imariagbe said the exercise is in adherence to the directive of the Acting Governor, Rt. Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, to keep the state capital clean.
Imariagbe added that the Board will sustain its awareness creation campaign in Benin City to support government efforts in maintaining a clean environment, so as to preserve the state’s aesthetic appeal, noting, “Today, we are giving life to the directive of the acting governor, to ensure the entire Benin City is clean. It is a joint exercise. We are working with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, and the State’s Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV).
According to him, “We have up to 100 trucks for the clean-up exercise and resolved that every street in Benin City must be clean and all waste must be evacuated from residential areas and along major streets to the dump site.”
He stressed that the clean-up exercise would be sustained through continuous monitoring and evaluation, urging residents to desist from indiscriminate waste disposal. He also called on residents to channel all complaints relating to waste managers to the board for prompt action.
One of the waste managers, Mr Emmanuel Iriogbe, who participated in the exercise, commended the state government for the directive to scale up activities to ensure the state is clean.
At Dumez Road Junction, off Sapele Road-axis, a resident, Eisosa Joseph lauded the state government for the evacuation of waste in the area, noting that the setting-up of a monitoring team will prevent indiscriminate waste disposal in the axis.