Osun Speaker directs ministry to clear refuse across state

n n

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, on Tuesday directed the Ministry of Environment to urgently clear heaps of refuse on major roads across the state.

n

The ministry was also told to clear blocked drainages and waterways in the state, as the lawmaker demanded a comprehensive approach to sanitation from the relevant government agencies.

n

The instructions were contained in a statement obtained in Osogbo, the state capital, signed by the Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Olamide Tiamiyu, following a meeting involving the Osun State lawmakers and the Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin, alongside top ministry officials.

n

Speaking at the meeting convened as part of the Assembly’s oversight responsibilities, with particular attention to environmental sanitation and effective waste management, the Speaker harped on the need “for urgent and sustained action to remove heaps of dirt on major roads, clear blocked and neglected drainages across the state.”

n

Egbedun, who noted that effective drainage systems remain essential to preventing flooding, protecting lives and property, and maintaining a healthy environment, also urged the ministry and its relevant agencies to “ensure the proper evacuation and disposal of refuse, particularly in major towns and cities, markets, residential areas and other public spaces.”

n

He emphasised that “waste management must go beyond occasional clean-up exercises and become a sustained and properly coordinated responsibility.”

n

The Speaker also called for a comprehensive approach to environmental sanitation that would involve regular cleaning of major streets, public spaces and other areas requiring government attention.

n

He assured that the Assembly would continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities to ensure that government agencies remain responsive to the environmental needs of the people, stressing that a clean environment is essential to public health, economic activities and the overall well-being of citizens.

n

While responding, Adejoorin and heads of the relevant agencies briefed the House on the activities, challenges and ongoing interventions of the Ministry in maintaining environmental sanitation in the State.

n

The PUNCH reports that the Osun State Government has been quite active in dealing with issues relating to the environment as it declared that work was progressing on its first Climate Action Plan, which would provide a guide for public, private businesses and households on actions needed to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

n

Commenting on the plan by the state governor, in a statement obtained in Osogbo, the Consultant to the state governor on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development, Chinwe Obuaku, said the document would also assist in protecting the environment from the negative effects of climate change.

n

Obuaku also said work commenced on the plan in 2023 with the governor’s creation of an Advisory Council and the state’s representation at COP28, adding that the plan would be forwarded to the House for adoption by November 2025.

n n