The Rivers State Government is seeking the cooperation and support of stakeholders to ensure environmental cleanliness in markets across the state. Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nyema Weli, who said this while monitoring the monthly environmental sanitation exercise at Creek Road and Plaza Markets, all in Port Harcourt said that the era which government alone did everything was gone.
Dr Weli said that it was the intention of the government to ensure that every relevant stakeholders contributed towards finding solution to the poor environmental condition in markets.
He urged the leadership of the affected markets to wake up to their responsibilities of ensuring that their areas were kept clean all the time.
The commissioner also warned them against dumping of refuse in gutters, noting that anyone caught in such act would be dealt with according to the law.
Also speaking, the state Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Oliver Wolugbom said that government and other stakeholders needed to work in synergy to clean up the Creek Road market.
Mr Wolugbom, who commended the ministry of environment for stepping up its enlightenment programme, urged for programme that would keep the traders away from the road.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen, the Creek Road Traders Association Taskforce Chairman, Mr Alex Loveday, said that the efforts of the taskforce on keeping the traders away from the road was hampered by the activities of touts who went about extorting money from traders under the guise of community youths.
Mr Loveday said that, until these youths were checked, the problem would continue.
He also complained that the ineffectiveness of some of the refuse contractors is hampering the efforts of the traders to keep the market clean.
On his own part, Mr Lafak Hozim of Meat Sellers Association said that the meat sellers were doing their best to keep their areas clean.
He also denied being forced to pay money to touts.