Environment Commissioner frowns at non-compliance with sanitation exercise

BY DANIEL EKPENYONG

The Hon. Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resorces, Dr. Iniobong Essien has again expressed unhappiness over the non-complaint attitude of Akwa Ibom people toward the monthly sanitation exercise.

The environment boss made his feeling known while briefing journalists at the end of this month’s sanitation monitoring exercise on Saturday, February 25, 2017. He said he was saddened by the fact that residents in the State still see the sanitation exercise and the accompanying restriction in movement as a non-issue. 

“I am not happy that after the reintroduction of the monthly sanitation exercise at the reception of the Udom Emmanuel administration in 2015, about two years ago, people still treat the exercise with levity. From my personal observation and from the reports I get from across the state, the level of compliance is worrisomely low”, he lamented. 

Dr. Essien therefore issued a renewed call to the entire citizens of the state to support the monthly sanitation exercise by suspending all commercial activities during the period of the exercise which, as he said, comes only once in a month of 30 days. 

While reiterating the boundless benefits of living in clean environments, the commissioner called on Local Government Chairman to wake up from their slumber and ginger their subjects to take the sanitation exercise seriously as, according to him, it is only in Uyo metropolis where a reasonable percentage of compliance could be observed every sanitation day while it is business as usual in other Local Government Areas. 

Meanwhile, this month’s sanitation monitoring exercise took the Commissioner to Oron Local Government Area where he was accompanied by the Commissioner for Transport and Petroleum Resources, Rt. Hon. Orman Esin as well as the Transition Chairman of the area.

At the end of the monitoring exercise which saw the Commissioner and his companions trekking long distances from the Oron main market to the Oron beach and beyond, the environment helmsman expressed satisfaction with the compliance level of the Oron people, scoring them above 7%. He however berated the Okolo people for what he saw while passing to Oron. People were going about their normal business as commercial activities were going on at their peak with commercial motorcycles busy transporting commuters to their different destinations without any form of restraint. 

However, there was a sad twist to this month’s sanitation monitoring as what was to be a major disaster to the NUJ family was averted by the Almighty God. A 14-seater bus carrying Journalists in the commissioner’s convoy suddenly ran off the road and headed for the bush when one of the front tyres burst along the Airport road while the vehicle was travelling at a very high speed. After pulling down two roadside trees the ill-fated bus came to a standstill upon hitting a third and sturdiest tree.

Though frightened and shaken, all the journalists and the driver of the vehicle however,  escaped unhurt and were quickly evacuated by other vehicles in the convoy and the journey continued.