Gov. Alex Otti Wednesday, inaugurated the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA Monitoring and Compliance Team, Aba Zone with a charge on members to monitor and ensure compliance of environmental laws to ensure a clean and healthy environment.
This move is part of Otti’s efforts to promote sustainable environmental sanitation and will focus on addressing waste management and work towards creating a more eco-friendly state.
Speaking at the ceremony, held at the ASEPA zonal office Aba, the Governor who also commissioned the ASEPA operational vehicles and tricycles, further urged members of the monitoring team not to compromise standards, warning that the present administration has zero tolerance for all forms of illegalities.
“You are the image of government and as such you must conduct yourselves with decorum in the line of duty. Anybody caught extorting money from members of the public would be made to face the music” Otti who was represented by the Mayor, Aba North LGA, Chief Uche Nwogu, warned and applauded ASEPA for the significant improvement of environmental sanitation in the state’s commercial nerve center, Aba, while pointing out that the present administration is doing everything within it’s powers to put the state in the committee of clean and progressive states in Nigeria.
Clean environment is everyone’s business, the governor noted and called on all hands to be on deck in the drive for a clean and green Abia.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Ogbonna represented by the Director in charge Rev Ukachukwu Uchechukwu commended ASEPA for its good works towards restoring a clean and healthy environment, describing the objective of the team as being in line with that of Governor Alex Otti towards a clean and green environment and urged the team to carry their tasks in line with global best practices.
In his keynote address, the General Manager ASEPA Elder Ogbonnia Okereke noted that the Agency is adopting a new approach to keeping the state clean and healthier by putting an end to indiscriminate dumping of refuse, disclosing that the monitoring team would soon be rolled out in Umuahia and Ohafia zones.
Delivering his welcome address, the Deputy General Manager, ASEPA (Aba Zone), Elder Okezie Ezengwa said the team was formed to complement the good works of the Abia State Harmonized Task Force in the area of enforcement of the state’s Basic Environmental Laws and expressed optimism that Aba would soon become one of the cleanest cities in West Africa.
Elder Ezengwa disclosed that the ASEPA Monitoring Team would work closely with the Abia State Harmonized Task Force, the Security Agencies and the Environmental Courts towards achieving the envisaged environmental transformation of Aba in line with the mandate of Governor Alex Otti.
Earlier in his speech, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties Dr George Chiedozie applauded the hardwork and desire of ASEPA team to champion the era of a healthy environment and urged the newly inaugurated team to work in line with their terms of reference as Abia today is aiming the standard of Dubai.
In their goodwill messages, The Chairman ASMATA Chief A.E Udeigbo and the Divisional Police Officer Eziama Aba Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna said the event marks a boost in the development trajectory of Aba the commercial hub of Abia State, and called for the support of all Aba residents to the developmental programmes of ASEPA in making Aba the cleanliness city across the country.
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