In an effort to restore sanity and order in public spaces across the state, the Edo State Government has intensified its clean up exercise, starting from the Benin metropolis with a campaign to rid the streets and parks of debris and dirt.
The campaign, led by the Clean and Green Edo Committee headed by Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, Esq., is being carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability and the Edo State Waste Management Board.
Officials of the Ministry and the Board in the past few weeks have been sighted taking down illegally erected billboards, especially at the Kings Square, with waste managers clearing dirt on major roads across the state capital.
A cross-section of residents in the state said that the renewed effort to clean up the state is commendable and marks one of the highlights of the Governor Obaseki-led administration, which has ensured a clean capital city.
Ogie said the state government has given a directive to relevant agencies to ensure that public spaces, including roads, parks and other parts of the state are cleaned and properly maintained, so as to restore order to these places.
General Manager, Edo State Waste Management Board, Mr. Charles Imariagbe, said the team is out to execute government’s directive on ridding streets of dirt, noting, “We have been on the campaign for a couple of weeks now. We have cleared Upper Sakponba, Ugbowo, Airport Road, Sapele Road and Ekehuan Road.
“If you go to Ring Road, you would observe that a number of the billboards at Kings Square have been removed. The place is wearing a new look as well. So we are cleaning and sanitizing the city center.”
Mrs. Eki Igbinoba, a trader, said that the state government has been living up to its duties in its sustained drive to keep the state clean. “At the markets, we had issues with waste when the waste management board was stopped from working. But since they resumed work, our markets are clear. They come down to pick the dirt,” she said.
A businessman, Mr. Francis Chigozie, said that there has been a breath of fresh air in the state since the embargo on the state waste management board was lifted and that the efforts by the Committee to ensure a clean capital city are commendable.
