Sunday 2 February 2014
Delta state governor Emmanuel Uduaghan said his administration would ensure that the State Employment and Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR), a World Bank project, was used to empower youths and promote sanitation.
Uduaghan made this known to newsmen after inspecting some of the projects handled by the Ministry of Environment in Ibusa and Asaba on Sunday.
He said that SEEFOR would offer the state opportunity to engage the youth to improve sanitation in the state.
“SEEFOR is an empowerment programme and one of the areas we want to focus on in empowering our youths is on environmental management,’’ he said.
Uduaghan explained that the state government had started a waste management programme aimed at having a cleaner state, adding that Asaba, Warri and Effurun would be the starting points.
He expressed displeasure at the untidy state of some newly constructed roads within the capital and directed the ministry to rid Asaba off dirt within one week.
The governor said arrangement had reached an advance stage to bring in incinerators which would be used to covert waste to wealth.
“That will help solve the challenge of the disposal points for waste in the state capital,’’ he said.
According to him, as soon as the incinerators are installed, the existing waste dump site on the Benin-Onitsha expressway and Asaba would be closed down.
“The existing dump site is not good enough and it is close to the Asaba Airport and the smoke emanating from it may cause obstruction to flight coming to the airport,’’ he said.
Uduaghan further said that the state government would enact sanitation laws and institute environmental marshals to educate people and enforce the law.
He, therefore, cautioned those selling on the pedestals walk-ways to desist as government was now prepared to arrest and prosecute offenders.
