FCT residents decry improper handling of refuse by contractors

 

The residents, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday in separate interviews, insisted that the evacuation of refuse ought to be carried out in a manner that would enhance the cleanliness of the surroundings.

 

Mr Augustine Madu, an estate agent, particularly bemoaned the manner in which the waste management contractors littered the roads with garbage during waste evacuation processes, while blocking the roads with trucks.

 

“The whole idea of evacuating refuse is to keep the environment clean but what some of these contractors do is to handle the waste evacuation in a messy way.

 

“They forgot the whole essence of their service and think only of the money that would accrue from it.

 

“I think that the primary idea behind the exercise is environmental cleanliness; the contractors should understand this before looking at the monetary benefits.

 

“More attention should be given to the satellite towns where the population is concentrated, while the generation of waste is more,’’ he said.

 

Another resident, Mrs Mabel Akande, a teacher, nonetheless, criticised some residents for dumping their garbage arbitrarily, without any regard for the use of refuse dustbins.

 

“Now, we can say that we are trying to improve because for those of us living in the city centre, our refuse can be collected right from spaces in front of our homes.

 

“However, the manner in which we dump our refuse is one thing and the habit of those collecting the refuse is another.

 

“‘I think the authorities in charge of the environment should monitor closely all the refuse collection processes within the FCT,” she said.

 

Mrs Helen Olabisi, an environmentalist, urged the FCT Administration (FCTA) to introduce some measures that would ensure proper evacuation of refuse in the territory.

 

“Our society is such that people are not moved by what goes around them; look at the climate change issue, people seem not to know that their activities are partly responsible the change.

 

“What I think those in charge should do is to make sure proper measures are put in place to enforce discipline and compliance to environmental rules.

 

“Have we not forgotten simple hygiene principles because Ebola is no more? We should start learning how to imbibe personal cleanliness wherever we are,’’ she said.

 

However, Mr Hassan Sule, a lawyer, complained of alleged insensitivity on the part of those handling the evacuation of refuse in the territory.

 

“It is not right for the contractors to block the roads with the evacuation trucks; it also improper for them to use open trucks to evacuate refuse, thereby giving room for the refuse to flutter about.

 

“I think the FCTA should be serious about this. You can see that Abuja is not as clean as it should be; a drive through Karu, Jikwoyi and Kurudu and some other places portrays how dirty we are.

 

“Honestly, we need to worry about the filthy nature of our environment, especially during the rainy season.

 

“All the dumpsites are oozing out unpleasant smell which is capable of provoking an epidemic,’’ he said.

 

Mr Murktar Ahmed, Head, Communication and Outreach Unit, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), said that the board would press the waste management contractors to promote sanitation in all their activities.

 

He said that the board engaged the contractors to ensure the prompt evacuation of waste in the FCT, adding that they should, however, carry out their assignment in an appropriate manner.  (NAN)