Ekiti: We Will Re-Activate Use Of Mobile Courts To Punish Environmental Sanitation Offenders – Tosin Aluko

… Promises To Sanction Owners Of Houses Without Toilets

By Falayi Olarewaju 

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The Honourable Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources in Ekiti State, Mrs. Tosin Aluko has expressed the readiness of her Ministry to Re-Activate the use of Mobile Courts with a view to punish environmental sanitation offenders and ensure that House Owners who does not have toilet facilities in their homes are identified and sanctioned across the State. 

Mrs Tosin Aluko stated the above while playing host to the Online Media Chapel of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists, NUJ, Ekiti State Council in her office at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources located at the State Secretariat in Ado Ekiti on Friday.

According to her, she said, “the proposal for the Re-Activation of the use of Mobile Courts across Ekiti State has been presented to the Governor through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning during the 2024 defence of the budget for the Ministry recently done in the State. 

“Already, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Ekiti State has presented the cost implications needed in the acquisitions of canopies which will be put in strategic locations with court officials provided and adequate security personnels in place.

“Also, our Ministry will not hesitate to enforce the use of the existing laws on environment, public health, sanitations as well as management of wastes in the State. 

“By the Grace of God, before the first quarter of 2024, we will have more arrangements on ground for prosecution of those who run foul to the laws on environment, public health, sanitations and management of wastes in the State”.

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Earlier in her speech, the Honourable Commissioner sought the assistance of the Online Media Chapel to sensitized the public most especially landlord’s and landlady’s against building or erecting structures without toilets in the State. 

She pledged that her Ministry will also intensify efforts towards doing more jingles and increasing the current numbers of radio programmes to improve sensitisation across the State. 

In his own speech, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Babatunde Alokan reinforced the message of the Honourable Commissioner on the need for the people of the State to keep the entire State clean and tidy in line with the initiatives, programmes and goal of the Governor of the State, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji. 

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He restated that the Ministry will not hesitate to deal decisively and impose severe punishment on any citizen caught dumping refuse indiscriminately so as to serve as deterrent to others.

Alokan used the opportunity to inform the people of the State that the sum of N2,000 and N5,000 usually been paid before as prosecution fees will be reviewed upward to N10,000 to discourage recalcitrant citizens from flouting the laws governing the monthly sanitation exercise in the State. 

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of Online Media Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ekiti State Council, Comrade Ayodele Abere, advocated for media parley with the Commission, stressing that the online media has become the future of Journalism.

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He expressed the readiness of the Chapel to project the activities of the Ministry at all times and advised the officials of the Ministry to beam more of it’s searchlight on the activities of those found of dumping refuse indiscriminately on the roads at night. 

Also present during the Courtesy visit include Directors, General Manager, Press Officer in the Ministry as well as Aides of the Honourable Commissioner. 

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