People in Kwara State who pick items from waste bins and dump sites will now have to look elsewhere. This is because the State government has established a new policy on scavenging.
Kwara State says it is taking the decisive action to address waste management and public safety issues. It revolves around implementing a ban on scavengers and launching a new Environmental Task Force.
On Monday, August 12, the Kwara State Government banned scavengers from operating in Ilorin, the state capital.
It says it is part of a new initiative to eliminate indiscriminate refuse dumping.
During the inauguration of an Environmental Task Force, the State Commissioner for Environment, Hajia Nafisat Buge, announced that the government had imposed a ban on scavengers operating within Ilorin.
Mobilized Environmental Task Force
She directed all previously registered scavengers to now conduct their activities exclusively at the designated government refuse dump site located at Sokoto-Aiyekale, off the expressway in Ilorin.
The Commissioner revealed that the state had mobilised over 300 Environmental Task Force officers to provide 24-hour surveillance and enforce environmental regulations across five units and more than 70 designated locations in the metropolis.
Buge emphasised that the government would prosecute anyone caught dumping refuse improperly.
Penalty Fees
She detailed the penalties: “Individuals face fines of up to ₦50,000, corporate entities up to ₦150,000, and larger firms could incur fines ranging from ₦250,000 to ₦500,000, along with possible six-month jail terms”.
The ministry has introduced a third option for offenders found guilty of indiscriminate refuse dumping. It involves a community service for a specified number of days, according to the commissioner.
The task force includes 75 environmental volunteers, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps members, vigilance teams, legal officers, representatives from the Ilorin Emirate Development Progressive Union, and various environmental officers.
“We are in the season when indiscriminate dumping of refuse is more rampant.
“It is, therefore, pertinent for a responsible government to take action in order to sustain a clean and hygienic environment for the healthy living of its people.
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“The menace of indiscriminate dumping of refuse is an unacceptable phenomenon that requires urgent attention, most especially within the metropolis.
“The attendant dangers and effect of this menace is alarming and could be devastating if left unattended.”
On Sensitisation
The Environment Commissioner said that the ministry had undertaken sensitisation activities with different stakeholders, including traditional leaders, the market traders’ Association, the road Transports, the Ilorin Emirate Descendant Progressive Union, the Youth wings, and many other interest groups.
“We have in the process received blessings and support of all the aforementioned stakeholders, including Mai Martaba, Sarki-Ilori, Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of Kwara State Council of Chief, HRH, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu Gambari and all the Baloguns and Alaguas of the Ilorin Emirate.”
She also called for cooperation and support of all to ensure compliance with the new sets of strategies to foster a cleaner and greener Kwara under the present administration in the state.
“It is illegal to dump refuse on road medians, road dividers, roundabouts, gutters, drainage channels, and waterways.
“Trading activities beyond the gutter on the roadside is not acceptable and will be penalised.
“More roll-roll (waste) bins have been provided at strategic locations to serve as collection points for onward conveyance of waste to the government-approved dump site,” she explained.
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