Anambra Intensifies Sanitation Enforcement Ahead of Yuletide, Arrests Suspected Illegal Enforcers in Awka South

By Chibuzo Obidike | IchieTimes

The Awka South Local Government Council has intensified enforcement of the statewide sanitation directive as Anambra steps up efforts to ensure cleaner communities ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The enforcement followed the council’s earlier directive mandating residents, traders, business owners, market leaders and institutions to participate in the October 31 sanitation exercise by cleaning their homes, business premises, streets, markets and public spaces.

Speaking during the exercise, Prince Ikechukwu Ndigwe, Commander of Keep Awka Clean and in charge of waste management and evacuation in Awka South, said the enforcement team apprehended individuals allegedly posing as local government sanitation officials and mounting unauthorised roadblocks.

Ndigwe explained that the council’s approach was to sensitise residents and ensure they cleaned their surroundings, evacuated waste and cleared drainage channels, rather than allow unauthorised individuals to exploit the exercise by collecting money from members of the public.

He said the arrested individuals were brought to the council for investigation to establish their identities and determine whether they had been involved in similar activities. He added that those found to have engaged in persistent unlawful conduct could be handed over to the police for further investigation.

One of the arrested individuals, Mr Collins Nnalue, who claimed to be an ASWAMA waste contractor, said he mounted a roadblock at his waste collection point to sensitise residents against indiscriminate dumping and prevent people from disposing of refuse at unauthorised locations. He said he was arrested alongside members of his team.

Ndigwe also disclosed that the council had engaged transport union leaders to ensure compliance among commercial tricycle and shuttle bus operators, warning that drivers who continued operating during the restricted sanitation period risked apprehension.

He said additional enforcement personnel had been deployed to roads to ensure that residents and road users observed the sanitation restrictions.

Assessing compliance, Ndigwe rated the exercise at about 60 per cent, noting that previous enforcement efforts had resulted in the closure of some hostels in Iyiette where occupants allegedly failed to participate in sanitation activities.

He said subsequent checks showed that the affected hostels complied with the directive after enforcement, adding that the council adopted a different approach during the latest exercise by concentrating more on road users and public compliance.

The sanitation commander called for stronger collaboration among the state and local government environmental teams, security agencies and other relevant authorities, arguing that effective enforcement required a coordinated approach.

He said the state would continue to intensify waste evacuation and environmental clean-up, particularly as the rainy season winds down, to clear drainage channels and prepare communities for the next rainy season.

Ndigwe further disclosed that markets would be directed to conduct additional sanitation activities ahead of the next statewide exercise, expressing optimism that residents returning for the festive season would find cleaner and more welcoming communities.

A trader, Mrs Nzube Asouzu, also urged shop owners and residents to take personal responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.

She said traders should clean their business premises early in the morning, dispose of waste in designated containers and avoid dumping refuse along roadsides.

Asouzu noted that indiscriminate waste disposal makes the environment untidy and could expose residents to infections, stressing that sanitation should become a daily habit rather than an activity observed only on government-designated days.

The enforcement forms part of the Anambra State Government’s broader effort to promote a clean, green, sustainable and liveable homeland under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s administration.