Twenty persons, mostly traders, Saturday arrested and prosecuted while their goods were also seized for failure to comply with sanitation laws, in Ekiti State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation, Tunde Balogun, made this known after monitoring this month’s exercise in Ado-Ekiti, Edo State capital.
Balogun, who was not happy with the attitude of people of the state towards hygiene, said the arrested offenders were made to face legal consequences so as to serve as a lesson to others.
Also, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Babatunde Alokan, expressed dissatisfaction with level of people’s compliance with the monthly Sanitation.
He observed that people in areas like Okeyinmi market, motor parks and majorly Okesa market were engaging in normal business activities against the order which restricts trading and movement of people.
Alokan said despite various sensitisation and jingles on radio as well as social media, the attitude of people to hygienic environment is still poor.
“We are not happy to see operational markets during environmental sanitation. Government will not fold its arms to allow residents to continue to engage in habits that can encourage epidemic,” Alokan said.
The permanent Secretary who maintained that efforts would be geared towards more sensitisation, however, appreciated the residents of Igbehin street, Basiri, bank road, Ajilosun, Ilawe Road, Federal Poly Road for better compliance.
While sensitising the market women, the General Manager, Waste Management Authority, Ayoola Osalusi, appealed to traders to stop indiscriminate waste disposal and make use of government refuse vans to keep their environment tidy.
NAN
