Monthly Sanitation Takes New Shape As Obuah Mobilizes CTC Chairmen

…3,000 Contractors Chase Waste Disposal Job

By Rivers PDP

The Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Bro. Felix Obuah has confirmed that the success recorded in last Saturday sanitation exercise across the state was the result of team work and patriotism from the 22 Caretaker Committee Chairmen in the state.

Addressing journalists at his RIWAMA office shortly before commencing the city wide monitoring of last Saturday sanitation exercise in Port Harcourt, Obuah gave kudos to the Executive Governor of the State, Chief (Barr) Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike whom he said initiated the team work through his New Rivers Vision project.

He said the cards were laid on the table on assumption of office when Wike declared that one of his top priorities was to clean up Rivers State from the ‘mess’ foisted on it by the immediate past administration.

This team work, according to the Sole Administrator saw the full participation of all the Council Chairmen and residents as well as massive involvement of the Ministry of Environment.

Obuah also thanked the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the State for sensitizing the populace on the need to cooperate with RIWAMA to clean up the state.

“That is our success story, the team work exhibited by Governor Wike which sparked the zeal of patriotism among the Local Government Chairmen, Ministry of Environment and the National Orientation Agency in the State” he said.

Bro. Obuah said that the agency had also introduced innovations to make the exercise pleasurable. Some of the innovations include the integration into the system of an independent Sanitation Marshalls to help the process.

“Apart from these, you also saw the National Orientation Agency, fully mobilized and working for the success of the exercise. Apart from that if you go to the streets of Port Harcourt and all the local government headquarters, you will see that everyone have come out in their numbers to participate” he said, adding that even youths who hitherto took pleasure in playing football or trading on Sanitation days, have all decided to cooperate with the agency to keep their environs clean.

The RIWAMA boss disclosed that as a mark of the team work, the CTC Chairmen of Obio Akpor, Port Harcourt, Oyigbo, Eleme, Emohua and Ikwerre would all join him to monitor the exercise round the respective LGAs.

Bro. Obuah was not alone at the briefing as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Godwin Mpi and the Director of NOA in the State, Oliver Wolubom both spoke to journalists on the exercise.

According to Mpi, the Saturday clean up exercise was a far improvement from the previous sanitation especially with the mass participation of people at the grassroots.

“I did not see children playing football or doing business as was the case in the previous exercise” he said, adding that a few cases of laxity observed in some LGAs could be avoided with more sensitization from all the agencies.

On his part, NOA Director, Wolubom urged the Sole Administrator to keep up the tempo as the suffered from lack of consistency with the previous administration.

He pledged the cooperation of his agency to the sanitation cause and ensure that Port Harcourt regained its Garden City status.

In another development, the Sole Administrator of RIWAMA, Bro. Felix Obuah has disclosed that over 3000 applications have been received from companies for disposal of refuse in the state.

He added that 16 contractors have been relieved of their job due to nonperformance, dispelling insinuations that the sacked contractors were being witch hunted for political reasons.

According to the RIWAMA boss, successful applicants would be engaged to replace over 60 contractors whose services have been terminated by the agency for nonperformance.

“As a matter of fact, this is a regular exercise and I am not here to look at anybody’s face. Irrespective of political affiliations, I am here to do the job which the Executive Governor has mandated me to do. If you are doing your work we will retain you but if you think it is going to be business as usual, we will relieve you of the job and give it to people who are capable and willing to do the job” he stated.

Signed:
Jerry Needam
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity
To The Sole Administrator, Rivers State Waste Management Agency

Wednesday, July 29, 2015