By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun on Friday, advocated genuine collaboration between relevant government authorities and the public to tackle the menace of indiscriminate waste disposal.
Dr. Olatubosun made the call while speaking at a town hall meeting tagged, “Beautiful Ibadan City: The Waste Management Agenda”, held in Ibadan, attended by key participants
The commissioner pointed out that
Oyo State Government, under Governor Seyi Makinde’s leadership has done a lot in managing waste, adding that before 2019, the 4 dump sites in Ibadan were poorly managed and this gave room for communicable diseases in Awotan and other residential areas close to the dumpsites, until Makinde’s government gave the dumpsite a face-lift.
Dr. Olatubosun emphasized that Oyo state government has laws on sanitation that must be enforced, to bring about the needed change in the State.
“There is a need for a change in people’s attitude towards waste disposal. We have also approached residents with appeal, which we trust will bring changes in people’s attitudes”, he said.
Dr. Olatubosun added, ” Our duty bearers, enforcement agencies must see to it that the laws are respected and enforced in the State”.
Chairperson, Oyo State Waste Management Taskforce, Mrs. Adedayo Aderonke while speaking said ” Waste management in Oyo State is a social enterprise” and that part of the ways of tackling poor waste management in the State, was the Government employing one Private Sector Participation, who has over the years built waste management business, in a way the Oyo State Government appreciates.
Mrs. Adedayo maintained that in pursuit of Sustainable waste management, the Waste management contractor, Mottainai Recycling Ltd. regulates the activities of about 121 Mottainai Accredited Franchisees, otherwise known as MAFs.
Lauding Mottainai for its efforts at ensuring proper waste collection and monitoring of waste dumping, she stressed that Community Policing is key to waste management, as a local problem requires local solutions, in this side of the country.
“Initially the state had about 235 waste collectors, some of them were not paying into the coffers of the government, and they did not have capacity either. This contributed largely to the poor management of waste in the State”, she said.
Mrs Adebayo added, “We are getting it right in Oyo State because we have ensured proper control of the activities. The strength of waste management is based on monitoring of operations”, she added.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Abdulwasiu Ajagbe appealed to residents of the state to join hands together in putting an end to solid waste problems.
