Monthly sanitation: Commissioner decries non-compliance in Jos Bukuru metropolis

The Plateau State Commissioner for Environment,  Usman Idi, has decried the non-compliance of residents in Jos Bukuru metropolis, with the directives of the monthly sanitation exercise.

Idi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria after monitoring the exercise on Saturday in Jos, he expressed concern that residents were complacent with their health.

“The compliance is still at the unacceptable level, some notorious Keke Napep (tricycle) operators, motorists and even individuals were going about their normal businesses.

“Some security agencies too were not too proactive in the enforcement; we thought as individuals we should understand that we should have personal responsibility of our sanitation,” he said.

He said meetings would be held with stakeholders to strategise on new ways of improving the level of compliance with the exercise.

“When we go for review meetings, we will advocate meeting with stakeholders, like markets and traders’ associations, the leadership of tricycle operators and the National Union of Road Transport Workers,” he said.

Also, in an interview with NAN, Gabriel Nshem, the acting General Manager of the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA), expressed concern on the low level of compliance of residents to the restriction of movement during the sanitation exercise.

He appealed to the public to adhere to the monthly exercise, saying that it was to ensure their well-being.

“Sanitation of markets and offices is for the last Friday of the month, people are expected to be in their homes on the last Saturday of every month to clean their surroundings,” he said.

He said PEPSA engaged 40 security personnel for the exercise, adding that more would be engaged to ensure total compliance in subsequent exercises.

Nshem added that 83 personnel of the organisation comprising sanitary attendants and supervisors were also being deployed for the exercise.

“We deployed about 83 of our staff, some are prosecuting, some are supervising the trucks, while some are patrolling in the communities,” he said.