Recently, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Senator Bala Mohammed, re-organised the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, the territory’s agency vested with the responsibility of ensuring a clean environment in the nation’s capital city.

In this game of musical chairs, so to speak, the minister during a bi-weekly FCT operational briefing, replaced the then Acting Director of the waste disposal agency, Mrs. Aisha Adebayo with Mr. Baba Shehu Lawan. The exercise equally affected three deputy directors and one assistant director, who were all redeployed out of the board.

Sen Bala, who announced plans for the urgent procurement of 3,000 plastic environmental waste bins to enhance solid waste management in the territory, equally directed the new management to liaise with estate managers and residents to find ways of collaborating with such estates in order to lessen the burden from the shoulders of the AEPB.

The Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB was established in 1977 via Decree No. 10 promulgated by the late General Sani Abacha military administration with the primary purpose of controlling and removal of all kinds of wastes and doing other things that are necessary for the purpose of enhancing a healthy environment within the territory.

Charged to achieve a sustainable development in the territory, the AEPB is also mandated to secure the quality of environment adequate for the health and well-being of the residents of the territory; conserve and use the environment and its natural resources for the benefit of the territory.

The board is also to minimise the impact of physical development on the ecosystems and raise public awareness and promote understanding of essential linkages between the environment and development within the FCT.

The AEPB is to synergize with the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and other states environmental protection agencies to achieve effective prevention of abatement of trans-boundary movement of wastes, just as it is equally to control the disposal of liquid and solid wastes, vector pests, rodents and reptiles; control and dispose portable and waste water, effluent discharges, noise pollution and the use of septic tanks and sewage maintenance.

It is also to control bush burning, poaching and indiscriminate felling of trees, stray and wandering animals, public conveniences and cemeteries and the use of residential areas for prohibited purposes as well as walking or driving on prohibited areas, including such other things that are necessary or expedient for the purpose of enhancing a healthy environment within the territory.

Finally, the board shall liaise with relevant departments of the authority and such other agencies for the control of burrow pits and quarry sites within the territory and direct construction companies or individuals to ensure that such places are replanted to avoid soil erosion.

As the new management team settles down to the huge responsibilities bestowed upon them, it is interesting to note that the new acting director, Shehu Lawan has hit the ground running, reading the riot act to defaulters of environmental laws in the FCT, just as he has assured that Abuja will experience environmental facelifts in the next three months.

At this juncture, it is necessary to admonish members of the new management team to familiarize themselves with the rules, regulations or Extant circulars of public service, so as to guard against unintended situations of issuing instructions, which extant rules and regulations do not support and which residents will find completely objectionable.

On the other hand, the Acting Director and other members of the board must place the totality of their experience and knowledge at the disposal of AEPB if the enormous assignment given to them is to have any meaningful sanitizing effect on the nation’s capital city. The team must also urgently prioritize the role of re-orientating the staff of the agency in order to make them friendly with residents, because presently, in the eyes of the people, they are seen as brutes that are only out to extort money from a hapless populace.

But be that as it may, the AEPB is not bereft of disciplined, hardworking and dedicated staffers, who are ready and willing to work with the new management team. As a matter of fact, they are looking forward to a harmonious working relationship in order to achieve the corporate goals of the agency. The new team, a child of necessity, came at an auspicious time when the FCT is virtually bursting at the seams as a result of population explosion. From all intents and purposes, the epochal re-organization carried out by the minister, is aimed at re-engineering and restructuring the agency towards facing the challenges of the 21st century as encapsulated in globalization.

It has been established beyond all reasonable doubt that the challenges facing AEPB are indeed enormous, ranging from indiscriminate dumping of refuse, to the menace of street begging and the scourge of destitution, as well as street hawking, all which have become major trademark of the city.

As the distinguished members of the new team settles down to face the crucial task of keeping Abuja clean, it will not be inappropriate to remind them that their principal, Sen. Bala Mohammed is a no-nonsense person, who abhors dereliction of duty in all ramifications. As one of the frontline ministers that is adding value to the Jonathan Presidency, he has never been found wanting in the discharge of his ministerial assignment and as such, will not tolerate indolence from Alhaji Baba Shehu Lawan-led board in its task of riding Abuja of filthiness.

To attain its corporate assignment, the board must immediately embark on sensitization campaigns with a view to sensitizing residents of Abuja on the need to imbibe the spirit of cleanliness and to educate them, especially environmental offenders on the dangers inherent in the pollution of the environment.

On this note, it is advisable that concerted efforts be made by the members of the public to compliment the efforts of government in ensuring a clean and healthy environment at all times, instead of the current unfriendly environmental attitude usually displayed by some individuals and corporate organizations.

The new management should ensure that some in-house saboteurs in AEPB are frustrated from further perpetrating evil deeds, lest the efforts of the newly reconstituted board under Shehu Lawan’s superintendence become meaningless.

It is also necessary that operatives of AEPB should be vigilant in order to nab scavengers who often times remove manhole covers, which have caused a lot of accidents in the city; repair some of the city’s damaged sewage routes and clear the multi-packed dustbins that litter all parts of the city.

The sorry environmental condition of state motor parks in Abuja calls for urgent remedying from those who are in charge of seeing to the sanitary supervision of these parks; taking into cognizance the important services the render in the city.

It is gladdening to note that the new board is composed of people reputed for their managerial capabilities and techniques to march the environmental challenges of the Federal Capital City. With a strong political will and legislative support, irrespective of whose ox is gored, the sky will be their limit.

Rogers Edor Ochela a, a media consultant, wrote from Abuja.