Urinate In Public, Go To Jail —Gov Fashola

Miscreants defecating in a drainage in Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria. PHOTO: KOLA ALIYU.

•Miscreants defecating in a drainage in Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria. PHOTO: KOLA ALIYU.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has vowed to prosecute Lagosians caught urinating and passing faeces in public places, saying the act defaces the environment.

•Miscreants defecating in a drainage in Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria. PHOTO: KOLA ALIYU.

The governor said he was unhappy about the wanton degradation of the environment by some unscrupulous Lagosians, saying that government could no longer fold its arm and allow such act to continue unabated. He spoke at the handing over of 100 new compactor trucks to the Private Sector Participation, PSP, in refuse management on Monday at the Olusosun Dump site, Ojota, Lagos, South West Nigeria. The governor also ordered strict enforcement of the environmental laws of the state in such a way that indiscriminate dumping of refuse on drainage and canals would be curbed permanently.

“The law enforcement agents have been told to increase enforcement and compliance of all environmental laws such as open passing of faeces and urinating in unauthorized places, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, among others. These measures are aimed at ensuring a cleaner and sustainable environment in the state.

“Every community, every village must rise and join hands to make the environment livable for everyone and generation yet unborn,” he stated.

The 100 trucks, manufactured by TATA Motors in India cost almost N1 billion, financed by Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and repayable over a period of four years “at a competitive interest rate.”

The acquisition of the trucks which were handed over to PSP operators, was facilitated by the state government aimed at assisting the PSP operators as part of the state government’s commitment towards ensuring a cleaner Lagos through efficient waste management as well as boosting the economy and health of the residents.

“Sometime last year, during a meeting with the PSP operators, it was brought to my knowledge that fairly used trucks were costly to maintain and reduced turn-around time. So I said in that case, we will facilitate the acquisition of new trucks. Having achieved this, we expect that the PSP operators will be faithful in repaying the loan, Fashola stated. The governor also lashed the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC over a documentary titled Welcome to Lagos Slums, which the medium aired last year.

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He described the report as stereotype propaganda aimed at rubbishing the state development efforts, saying that the state government would not be discouraged by what he described as the propaganda report, which BBC aired about the metropolis.

According to him, the BBC report on Lagos slums “is a stereotype propaganda of the West and what the man behind the camera wishes to see in the city. The negative report will not discourage the state government. The existence of slums in a city is not peculiar to Lagos metropolis alone.” Managing Director, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Mr. Ola Oresanya said the truck acquisition with finance from Stanbic IBTC Bank, was another successful partnership conceived by the state between private investor in waste management and LAWMA.

“The idea is to boost efficiency of private sector participation in collection of domestic waste from tenements and also serve as one of the key driver of the economy through the creation of jobs,” he said, adding “so far, 10,000 jobs have been created by 222 PSP operators with substantial investment into the programme,” he stated.

Oresanya stated that the PSP programme had witnessed several challenges militating against its implementation, which included dispersal of waste on highways because of the use of open trucks at the earlier conceptual stage of the programme, coupled with incessant breakdown of trucks on highways, thereby compounding the chaotic traffic problems and to high-around time by the aged trucks.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

 

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