The Oyo state ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a three-day abatement notice to the management and occupants of Old Kingsway Building in Dugbe, Ibadan, over poor sanitary conditions and indiscriminate waste disposal.
The notice comes after multiple reports and complaints from occupants of nearby buildings and members of the public about the terrible odour emitted from the premises.
Speaking after the inspection, Environmental Health Officer, Gbenga Oluwasegun, said the level of indiscriminate dumping and environmental violations found upon inspection of the building premises was more than what was reported.
“We observed that there are a lot of nuisances not knowing that what is inside the premises is more than what we expected. We saw a lot of nuisances like the presence of overgrowing weed and accumulation of refuse.”
“We learnt that they have not been registered with an accredited refuse contractor for the past two years and we have evidence of improper management of this premises as it is.”
Mr Oluwasegun decried the state of the premises and the possible consequences on the health of building occupants and people in the area.
He urged members of the public to report any building or company found violating environmental laws in their area.
“If the neighbors notice that what is going on is affecting them, they have every right to write a petition to any nearby local government or ministry of environment that things happening there have been affecting their health.”
Also speaking, the Zonal Officer for Mottainai Recycling and consultant to the Oyo state Solid Waste Management authority, Hope Alao, said the waste management taskforce had issued previous warnings to the management of the building for constituting “environmental nuisance and dangers to occupants and the general public.
“They have a bigger place where they dump their waste which is really hazardous to the community and people behind them are complaining because of the odour. So we went there to enforce the law and ensure they comply.”
She added that the team regularly conducts sensitization and enforcement patrols as part of efforts to raise awareness on the dangers of indiscriminate waste dumping.
“There’s a radio jingle and programme anchored by the commissioner for environment himself. We also use social media to sensitize everyone [especially] in southwest local governments on how to clean the environment and keep it clean.”
Members of the public and residents of Oyo state should note that indiscriminate dumping of refuse anywhere except in litter bins or waste management facilities is a violation of the Oyo state Environmental (sanitation and waste control) regulations.
Report By John Adio For IbadanCity ANNOUNCER
