The lawmaker presenting Egbeda state constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Sunkami Babalola has called on the executive arm of government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to enforce strict compliance to environmental laws to address issue of unkempt and dirty environment.
The lawmaker said that regular observation of the weekly and monthly environmental sanitation will address possible outbreak of coronavirus and Lassa fever in the state.
Hon. Babalola, while addressing journalists in his office shortly after the plenary, disclosed that the motion he presented on the floor of the house is to make sure that the people of the state comply with the Oyo State Environmental Protection Law to ensure clean and healthy environment.
Babalola, who is the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, in a motion jointly presented by Hon. Yusuf Adebisi, on “Need to Enforce Environmental Laws and Observe Weekly and Monthly Sanitation Exercises for Optimal and Effective Solid Waste Management”, explained that failure of some residents to observe weekly and monthly sanitation exercise is contributing to the unkempt and dirty environment.
The lawmaker, while calling on the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to engage the public in a sensitization programme, also urged the state Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to ensure strict compliance to the state’s environmental laws.
Hon. Babalola clarified that though, nobody is expecting the outbreak lassa fever in the state, he, however, stated that proactive measures needed to be put in place in anticipation.
He charged relevant ministries to set up task force of market associations to ensure that traders don’t just shut their shops, but also participate in the clean up of their surrounding in their respective business locations during the sanitation exercise.
Hon. Babalola also appealed to the officers of paramilitary agencies and voluntarily organizations to collaborate with relevant government agencies in enforcing the sanitation programmes and exercises.
Meanwhile, Hon. Isiaka Kazeem, Hon. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji and Hon. Yusuf Adebisi, advised the people to cultivate the habit of keeping their environments clean.
They urged the state government to look for ways of turning the waste into wealth to boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, while passing the resolutions on the motion, emphasized that adequate measures should be put in place for the use of Environmental Tribunal and Mobile Courts to prosecute whoever flouts the laws.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
