RSG Inaugurates 50 Rivgreen Marshals

Chris Oluoh

In its bid to ensure cleaner and healthier environment in Port Harcourt city and its environs, the Rivers State Government has inaugurated 50 Rivgreen marshal volunteers.

Also inaugurated were 21-member Technical Committee on Environmental Sanitation drawn from ministries, parastatals, NGOs and professional bodies.

At the inauguration ceremony held Thursday last week in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Barrister Kingsley Chinda said the Rivgreen Marshall Scheme was a volunteer service and that members are expected to police sanitation of the environment to ensure that state policies were being observed by members of the public.

The commissioner reminded the volunteers of the need to be self-disciplined and live exemplary life as agents of positive change and promised them the strong support of the ministry in the discharge of their function.

The fifty were inaugurated officially, over 2000 persons especially youths have indicated interest to be members of the voluntary scheme.

Special Adviser to the President on Ecology, Dr Ken Modi who did the official inauguration of the volunteer marshals also charged them to shun bribery in performing their function and to always remember that they were rendering the service to the state as their contribution towards protection of the environment.

The Special Adviser to the president commended the ministry on its efforts towards improved sanitary standard in the state stressing that the issue of environment and its protection is the responsibility of all and challenged Nigerians to show more concern in the protection of environment.

The honourable commissioner who personally inaugurated a 21-member technical committee on Environmental Sanitation explained that the exercise was part of federal government directive on environment.

He called on the twenty three level government councils in the state to take a cue from the state and inaugurate the committee in the various local government areas.

He stressed that the issue of protection of environment has become a global issue and reiterated the determination of the present administration in the state to safeguard the environment so that people would live longer and healthier.

The commission said the committee was expected to monitor and review strategies on environmental sanitation and to also turn in reports every three months to the ministry of environment and the state environmental sanitation authority.

Responding on behalf of the inaugurated members, Prince Sodin Akiagba thanked the ministry for the confidence reposed in them and promised to be delighted in the discharge of their functions.