Abia Arrests 114 Environmental Sanitation Defaulters, Plans Neighbourhood Watch

The Abia State Government says it arrested 114 residents for violating environmental sanitation regulations during the July edition of the monthly sanitation exercise held on Saturday across Aba and Umuahia.

According to The Punch, 64 offenders were apprehended in Umuahia, while more than 50 others were arrested in Aba for failing to comply with the sanitation directive.

Authorities, however, discharged nine individuals in Umuahia, including students travelling for lectures and persons carrying out essential duties, after verifying their reasons for being outdoors during the exercise. Three other offenders were ordered to carry out community service.

The monthly sanitation exercise recorded a high level of compliance, particularly in Umuahia, where residents were seen clearing drains and cleaning their surroundings, while government trucks evacuated refuse and debris from various locations.

Speaking while monitoring the exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, commended residents for their active participation and urged them to sustain the sanitation culture beyond the monthly exercise.

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Ogbonna also disclosed that the state government is set to establish a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch to strengthen environmental monitoring, improve compliance with sanitation regulations and promote cleaner communities across Abia State.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Ikechukwu Oriuwa, said the government was considering establishing a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch across the state to sustain improvements in sanitation and environmental cleanliness.

“The ministry is considering establishing a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch across the state in line with the present administration’s commitment to sustaining the giant strides it has made in the area of sanitation and environmental cleanliness of the state,” he said.

Ogbonna advised residents to cultivate the habit of keeping their surroundings clean at all times, avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse and reiterated the determination of the Alex Otti administration to prioritise all sectors of the state.

In Aba, the sanitation exercise also recorded an impressive turnout in most parts of the city.

Speaking through the ministry’s Zonal Officer in charge of the Aba Zone, Mrs Amarachi Goodluck, the commissioner commended traders in various markets for complying with the directive to clear their drainage channels ahead of debris evacuation.

He, however, criticised the attitude of some residents in the Osisioma axis, alleging that they waited for the sanitation period to end before moving about, while others ignored movement restrictions.

The commissioner called on health officers in Osisioma and Obingwa Local Government Areas to actively participate in future exercises. He also commended volunteers enforcing restrictions on human and vehicular movement in some areas, warned them against extortion, and urged transport union leaders to mobilise their members for the exercise instead of remaining idle.

Reacting after monitoring the exercise in Aba, the head of the ASEPA Monitoring Task Force, Mr Praise Onuoha, expressed satisfaction with residents’ participation.

He, however, condemned an attack on ASEPA officials in Aba, saying the agency remained committed to ensuring the city’s overall cleanliness. He urged residents to comply with government directives on environmental sanitation to avoid sanctions.

In separate interviews, residents, including Mr Robby Onyema and Mrs Ego Odinkemere, commended the state government for its efforts to keep Aba clean and appealed to ASEPA to intensify the evacuation of debris during sanitation exercises.