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  • Govt Ought to Provide Where Nigerians will Dump Refuse at Affordable Rates-Prof Olagoke

    ProfThe poor waste management policies of both the Federal and State Governments has resulted in the need to secure quality environment, adequate for good health and well being of the citizenry.

    However, both levels of government have overtime hidden under various reasons to avoid accepting responsibility for the environmental challenges impeding development.

    Sadly, kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes have been the major cause of government’s visible inability to ensure good governance and development. Of note, is the worrisome programs, summits and talk shops buy government apologists to sway public opinion.

    In this interview, the Founder, Grand Imam and Spiritual Head of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that every household must therefore have where they should dump their refuse and where refuse contractors will pick the dirt up at affordable rates. Excerpts :

    What do you think can be done to rescue Nigerians from the environmental hazards occasioned by government’s poor waste management policy ?

    The issue of waste management of any nation rests solely on the policy of government, which in the case of Nigeria is not expected to pose any problem, but for the lack of political will at the implementation level, for example, policy drive is not supposed to be limited to cleanliness of the surrounding alone. The area of controlling what to clean, sensitizing and reinforcing who to clean and the general minimization of generating wastes must be revolutionized into a culture with all aggression from the government end, most especially from the beginning. For example, waste generation sources must be identified as it varies from one tribe and geo-political zone to the other.

    Nigeria 15The types must be determined for the purpose of research and control by the professional bodies who will have to see to the collection, transportation, treatment essence and recycling possibilities to develop other useful money spinning products for the society.

    These process areas will not only challenge our professionals and experts on the need to design and articulate equipment development for the purpose, thereby creating job opportunities for many.

    In the culture of recognizing and encouraging our indigenous experts in this sensitive area of human endeavor, the artisans, technicians, technologists, corporate members and fellows at the research level will be meaningfully occupied and engaged with all happiness as significant stakeholders in the scheme of nation building.

    Scientists and other environmentalists will equally need to collaborate in the area of environmental pollution with the aim of controlling the health consequences on the people.

    However, for the people to appreciate government’s efforts on their concerns for the environment, agencies and boards set up for the purpose need to collaborate to ensure that the quality and standard of the environment must be kept to the stipulated recommendations of the World Health Organization(WHO).

    AbujaThis will show our seriousness on the need to domesticate all international instruments, most especially to which we are signatories.

    When every household is sensitized on the issue of maintaining clean environment the culture of keeping neat and sustainable level would reflect in the following ways :

    Patented waste bins to be generated from students’ research efforts in our institutions of higher learning for the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria(MAN) to ensure the mass production of the tested and trusted bins, which must also be people-with-disability-friendly for the benefit of government and for the use of the people with government as the major financier. This is because designs and construction of any machine should be based on the peoples’ culture as well as been adaptable by the people that may want to adopt it.

    Every household must therefore have where they should dump their refuse and where refuse contractors will pick the dirt up at affordable rates.

    Nigeria 16Along all streets, commercial or otherwise, there must be befitting waste bins at some meters length interval where you can dump your refuse while walking.

    This will make the controlling law against reckless dumping of refuse to be effective.

    Dumping of refuse at the middle of the road is not only promoting environmental hazards within the time frame of when the contractor is to collect same, for it defaces the aesthetic values of the affected areas,both to the pedestrians and the passersby in the moving vehicles, making it to look like the government is either not in control or unserious.