We Will Engaged Ekiti People More On Sensitization In 2023 – Babatunde Alokan

By Toba Emmanuel

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Babatunde Alokan has assured the residents of Ekiti State that his Ministry is poised to engage the people of the state more on proper hygiene.

Mr. Babatunde Alokan stated the above while fielding questions from Treasure Newspaper correspondent in Ado Ekiti on Saturday morning at the end of the monitoring / touring of the Ekiti State Capital, Ado Ekiti for the December 2022 monthly sanitation exercise. 

Alokan who was flanked by the General Manager, GM, for the Ekiti State Waste Management Authority, EKSWMA, Engineer Osalusi, and the Director of Environmental Sanitation in the Ministry, Mr. Balogun and other Directors, said, “they have gone round different parts of the State Capital, Ado Ekiti, and the level of compliance is still not appreciable”.

Babatunde Alokan observed that it was only in two or three locations that people were seen to be cleaning their environment naturally without forcing them to do so”.

With the above, he said, “the December 2022 monthly sanitation exercise is generally not impressive”.

Speaking further, the Permanent Secretary, in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Babatunde Alokan, pointed out that, the reason why his officials came out to work during the December 2022 monthly sanitation was to do a Special Observatory Evaluation of the exercise and watch how the people of the State will respond during the festive period naturally without being coerced or forced. 

Alokan in his own words, stated that, “we got to the markets and the markets were all fully opened for businesses. He decried the level of the compliance on the part of the people of the State Capital most especially market women and Driver’s Unions”.

“Nobody is really complying and that is even despite the fact, that, we had stakeholders meeting with the Market Women, the Drivers Union and other stakeholders about two weeks ago. Despite this, we discovered that people are still not complying. Nevertheless, because we know that we are in the Yuletide period, we could not make any enforcement”, he revealed. 

He added that, his Ministry also could not enforced any restrictions so that people can just come into the State most especially visitors, tourists and  investors.

He assured the people of the State of the readiness of his Ministry to keep on sensitizing them because his Ministry have discovered that, what they need most is more sensitization for the market women and members of the Driver’s Unions. 

“People must know that, to have a disease and epidemic free society, and to be hygienic is the best that can happen in any Community. We will keep on imploring them. We will keep on working on them. And we will keep on improving and we won’t get tired”, he assured. 

When confronted with the question about those dropping their refuse at the medians, he said government had commenced house to house collection of refuses and urged residents to key into it.

He expressed the optimistic that the idea of dropping wastes at the medians would soon be forgotten by the people.

The December Monthly Sanitation Exercise was monitored by the Ekiti State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources starting from Fajuyi Park to Okesa Market to Okeyinmi market to Bisi market to Oja Oba market to Ejigbo area to Ajilosun area to Ekute area to Basiri to New Iyin road to Iyin Ekiti and back to Fajuyi park in Ado Ekiti where it was terminated.