OGUN COUNSEL INDUSTRIES TO COMPLY WITH THE STATE WASTE MANAGEMENT REFORMS OR FACE SANCTIONS

By Yusuf Olatunji 

The Ogun State government has counselled industries in the state to fully comply with the state waste management reforms which are aimed at promoting better,cleaner, healthier and safer environment or face sanctions.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Ogun State Waste Management Authority OGWAMA,Hon Abayomi Semako Hunye stated this when he led the management team of the Authority to inspect the waste management practices of some selected industries across the state.

Hunye said the inspection became necessary to assess their waste management practices,make necessary corrections if need be and commend those who are getting it right so that others can emulate them.

"The reforms which are of the best global standard seeks to coordinate proper industrial waste collection and disposal instead of the haphazard ways of disposing waste by industries before the advent of the present administration in the Gateway State"

" Under these reforms,all industries are assigned government certified waste collectors who will collect waste from their factories, move them to dump sites where they will be sorted, decontaminates them if necessary for better waste management".

"However some industries have refused to give their waste to government assigned waste collectors or declared little waste to circumvent the reforms and subsequently engage illegal waste collectors who dump the waste indiscriminately on high and waterways  thereby fouling the environment and exposing residents of the state to avoidable danger"

 

"This is not only sad but unfortunate as the state government through the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, OGWAMA is determined to stop this bad habit as we are now counselling some industries who are yet to fully comply  with the reforms to do so immediately or face sanctions"  

While stating that the state government will only wield the big stick as a last resort, Hunye said those yet to fully comply to do so as the state government is not interested in closing down any industry but will continue to encourage them to do the right thing so that they can together with the state government bequeath to the society a cleaner, healthier and safer environment.

He however used the opportunity of the inspection visit to inform Industries to take advantage of the proposed OGWAMA organized two-day workshop for Health Safety Environment Officers billed for next month so that they can be adequately be informed of what are expected of them to fully comply with the reforms.

Responding on behalf of the Industries visited,the Head of Operations, Intercontinental Distillers Limited,Ota, Mr Adesina Adegoke thanked the state government through OGWAMA for introducing the waste management reforms which he says will make the state cleaner and safer and pledged their cooperation.