Ekiti Court Arraigns 29 Environmental Law Defaulters.

 

…Commissioner Appeals to Residents to corporate with ministry of Environment.

By Dayo Adewale

The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Chief (Mrs) Tosin Aluko Ajisafe has urged residents of the State to be law-abiding, especially in keeping environmental sanitation laws.

Mrs Aluko made the appeal on Saturday, following the arrest and prosecution of 29 persons who flouted the State's environmental sanitation laws.

The Commissioner appealed to the  people to cooperate with  the Biodun Oyebanji-led administration in maintaining a clean environment, adding that the administration is committed to ensuring a healthy and disease-free environment.

 While expressing displeasure at the low level of  compliance with the sanitation exercise by traders at Okesa market in Ado Ekiti, Aluko warned that henceforth, stiffer penalties would be meted out to  violators of environmental laws, particularly those who flout the monthly sanitation exercise.

The Commissioner’s counterpart from the Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Gold Adedayo, who was on the monitoring team, said the exercise required collaboration with other MDAs, hence his decision to join Aluko in the monitoring exercise. He added that proactive steps needed to be taken in order to prevent an outbreak of disease in the state.

Adedayo advised youths in the state to join hands with the government in ensuring a healthy  environment.

Meanwhile, the 29 offenders were caught commuting within Ado- Ekiti metropolis were brought before a magistrate court.

The Magistrate, Olubunmi Bamidele in her ruling noted that the defaulters  committed the offence contrary to the Ekiti State Environmental Sanitation Law. She therefore sentenced them to a month imprisonment with the option of a five thousand Naira fine.

Top government officials who monitored the exercise alongside the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, included; Special Adviser, Office of  Transformation and Service Delivery, Dr. Ekundayo Moyo;   Special Adviser, Special Project, Hon. Tope Ogunleye;  Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr. Babatunde Alokan;  General Manager, State Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Kayode Adunmo;  General Manager, Ekiti State Waste Management Authority, Engr. Ayoola Osalusi as well as all Directors in the Ministry of Environment.