Oyo State Environmental Ministry and Rotary Club Honour Road Cleaners

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The Rotary Club of Ibadan Jericho-Metro, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the George Aid Foundation, on Wednesday carried out a street sweeping exercise and food outreach in recognition of sweepers keeping the state capital clean.

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The cleaning exercise covered the full length of the State Secretariat road to the Bodija Market, while the food outreach, which benefited 100 sweepers, took place at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, where rice and other items were distributed.

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Addressing newsmen on the importance of the exercise, the President of the Rotary Club of Ibadan Jericho-Metro, Bimbola Bodede, said the event, aimed to ensure a cleaner environment with proper sanitation.

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She said Rotary assigned a theme to every month, with the current month’s theme being “The Environment,” under which every club worldwide was mandated to take action for the environment.

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“We are partnering with the Ministry of Environment, and we are joining the sweepers to keep Ibadan clean. We want to tell them that we see them, we acknowledge them, and we appreciate the work they are doing,” she said.

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Bodede noted that Ibadan had previously been known as a dirty city, but the commitment of the sweepers had changed that perception.

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“Ibadan before used to be known as a dirty place, but now I am happy, even as a resident of Ibadan, to know that Ibadan is clean all the time,” she said.

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The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Dr Ademola Aderinto, commended the Rotary Club for the initiative, describing it as complementary to government efforts.

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“The overall goal is to ensure that those who are helping us to clean our environment are well catered for,” he said.

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Those present at the exercise included the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources [name], the Vice President of the Rotary Club of Ibadan Jericho-Metro, Adewumi Adegoke, the Managing Director of University Press Plc, Samuel Kolawole, Adekunle Are, and the club’s Secretary, Remilekun Olatunji, among others.

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