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By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Oyo State Government has sealed Premier Hotel, situated at Mokola hill, and an event centre located at Eleyele, for violating the environmental sanitation laws of the state.
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Abiodun Oni, who led the enforcement team alongside the Coordinating Director in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Rogba Adedigba; Director of Environmental Health Services; Environmental Task Force; Amotekun Corps and Environmental Health Officers, among others, said the facilities were sealed so as to put an end to environmental nuisance in the state.
The commissioner, who was appalled with the attitude of the management of Premier Hotel for accumulating heaps of wastes within their premises, wondered why the management failed to co-operate with the designated authorised waste collector, despite the seven-days ultimatum given to them to evacuate their wastes.
“It is disheartening that despite efforts of this administration to provide an enabling and sustainable environment to residents, people still go ahead violating the environmental laws of the state whereas a filthy environment poses threats to individual’s lives in the state. When sickness comes, it knows no boundaries,” the commissioner said.
Similarly, over 80 shops were sealed at Sango market for non-compliance with environmental sanitation laws, including indiscriminate dumping of wastes on the road median, accommodating a filthy drainage at the frontage of their shops and not cooperating with the authorised waste collector. The event centre was sealed for patronising illegal waste collector.
Oni emphasised that the enforcement will continue to take place, “unless people understand the need to take care of our environment.”
“As citizens, proper waste disposal is a way of exercising their responsibilities as well as giving concrete support to the government as such, putting an end to the scourge of filthy environment,” the commissioner added.
The team also visited Gbaremu market and Adelabu Shopping Complex, Orita Challenge, to sensitise the traders on the importance of having a clean, safe and healthy environment, and also warned them against breaking the environmental sanitation laws of the state.