The Ogun State Government has ruled out the reintroduction of the monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise, saying it will instead strengthen waste management operations through the provision of more equipment and operational vehicles.

The government said the move was aimed at ensuring a cleaner, healthier and safer environment across the state through daily and efficient collection and disposal of waste.

The State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, stated this while commissioning waste management equipment, operational vehicles and an office block to mark the first six months in office of the Special Adviser and Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), Hon. Farouk Adeniyi Akintunde, in Abeokuta.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Ola Oresanya, said Ogun State had moved beyond the era of monthly sanitation exercises, noting that residents had already embraced daily environmental sanitation.

According to him, there was therefore no need to shut down economic and social activities for several hours on a designated day every month in the name of environmental sanitation.

“Already our people are used to daily sanitation, so instead of re-introducing monthly Environmental Exercise, we have decided to buy more Compactors and other waste management equipments for the state Waste Management Authority OGWAMA to daily collect and dispose properly waste generated by households, commercial outlets and industrial facilities in conjunction with accredited PSP across the state,” the governor said.

He added that the state government would soon take delivery of additional compactors and other waste management equipment to further strengthen OGWAMA’s capacity and improve service delivery.

“In fact, the state government will soon take delivery of these Compactors and other waste equipments to further strengthen OGWAMA, thereby affirming the state government’s determination of not going back to the old ways when Environmental Sanitation Exercises are done once in a month with its problems of ineffective collection and disposal even hours after the end of the exercise,” Abiodun stated.

The governor commended residents of the state, Community Development Associations (CDAs), owners of commercial outlets and captains of industries for their cooperation with the government in maintaining a clean environment.

He assured them that his administration would continue to empower and equip the Ministry of Environment and its sister agencies, including the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) and OGWAMA, to enhance service delivery across the state.

Abiodun also commended the Special Adviser and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Hon. Farouk Adeniyi Akintunde, for what he described as his giant strides in the agency during his first six months in office, despite limited resources.

The governor noted that Akintunde had demonstrated the capacity to take OGWAMA to greater heights if provided with more compactors and other waste management equipment.

He reiterated the administration’s commitment to adopting a sustainable waste management system that prioritises regular collection and proper disposal of waste rather than reverting to the old monthly sanitation model. (Daily Trust)