The Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Bro. Felix Obuah, has frowned at those who convert the monthly environmental sanitation exercise hours into street trading and footballing, warning them to desist from the act or face the wrath of the law.
Bro. Obuah, who gave the warning today, Saturday, November 28, 2020 when he led a team of RIWAMA officials, security agencies, including officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), round some parts of Port Harcourt, the State capital, to monitor this month’s sanitation exercise, said the Agency had repeatedly warned against playing football and street trading during the monthly sanitation hours, but regretted that such warnings had fallen on deaf ears of some youths, stressing that the habit was counterproductive in the determination of the Agency to ensure a cleaner city.
He said observations revealed that street trading and footballing take place at areas of high commercial activities in Port Harcourt during sanitation hours and warned parents and guardians to call their children to order.
“This is not encouraging because in the process of playing football and trading on streets and roads during sanitation hours, such areas are littered with wastes”, Bro. Obuah declared while calling for a change of attitude, adding that two, three hours of sanitation exercise would bring long term health benefit to residents.
Bro. Obuah warned that henceforth those found to be engaging in such acts would be arrested and charged before the Sanitation Court.
The Sole Administrator who later spoke to journalists on the evaluation of the sanitation exercise said in spite of the ugly habit of indulging in street trading and footballing by some youths and residents, the exercise was adjudged a success as many residents turned out in their numbers in different parts of the State to clean their environment and empty their gutters and other water channels.