In line with its vision and mission of restoring Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt to its ‘Garden City’ status and maintain a high sanitation standard in the entire state, the government, yesterday, kicked-off a weekly “clean-up” exercise for work and business places in the state.  The government has also re-opened Ikoku spare parts market in Port Harcourt.

The maiden edition of the weekly “clean-up’ exercise which took place at Creek Road and Rumuwoji (Mile 1 market as well as Mile 3 park was supervised by Environment Commissioner, Barr. Kingsely Chindah and Chairman, Rivers State Sanitation Authority, Mr Nnamdi Wokekoro.

Speaking at the occasion, Barr. Chindah said there is a renewed zeal on the part of government this New Year to clean-up the state and ensure that Port Harcourt is restored to its lost glory of Garden-City, while enjoining the people of the state to team up with government in actualizing this in 2010.

Chindah said it was the lull noticed in the response to the monthly sanitation exercise in the state by operators of work and business places, such as abattoirs, markets and parks that necessitated the introduction of the weekly ‘clean-up exercise in such places.

Stressing that the exercise, scheduled for Thursdays will be a continuous one, the Environment Commissioner thanked the market men and women who do business at two markets and park for participating in the maiden edition of the exercise in the state weekly ‘clean-up’ campaign and enjoin them not to relent in the coming weeks and month of the exercise.

Said he: “Year 2010 has been set aside to ensure the sanitation success of the state in order to return Port Harcourt to its Garden City Status -during the monthly sanitation exercise, operators of public places like Abattoir parks and markets are at risk since they are not known to massively partake in the exercise.  The measure (weekly ‘clean-up) became necessary to rid such places of refuse”.

Chindah appealed to council chairman in the 23 local government areas of the state to ensure their council actively participant in the state monthly sanitation exercise by mandating all Environmental Health Officers in their council exercise.

Chindah also ordered the reopening of the Ikoku spare parts market, which was closed due to poor sanitary condition and warned that they should comply with environmental regulations or face sanction.

Earlier, Mr Wokekoro commended the traders who thronged out to clean-up their environment and regretted that mechanics were not part of the exercise assuring that they would join in subsequent exercises since it’s a weekly campaign.

Wokekoro appealed to operators at the designated public places to embrace the weekly exercise and ensure they keep fate with cleaning their environment of their business and work places, adding that the task of cleaning-up Rivers State should not be left for government alone but should be the responsibility of all.  

Justus Awaji