15 arrested for violating sanitation laws

By David Odama, Lafia

Worried by the outbreak of diseases threatening the state arising from the violation of sanitation exercises in Nasarawa State, the state government said on Saturday it was evolving various measures to address the health challenges confronting the state.

The state and the local government councils are to set up a joint task force to help step up monitoring of sanitation exercises across the 13 local government areas of the state.

General Manager, Nasarawa Environmental Protection Agency, Engineer Yusuf Adeka, disclosed this Saturday while briefing journalists at the end of this month’s sanitation exercise in Lafia, the state capital.

According to Adeka, the move is to guard against the possible outbreak of any disease and ensure improved healthy living for the people.

He said, “If the environment is kept clean, it will guard against the possible disease outbreak, thereby ensuring improved healthy living for the people.”

He said Nasarawa State would sustain its cleanliness status, as the government has set aside last Saturday of every month for sanitation exercises.

Adeka explained that the exercise would be strengthened in 2024 to achieve the essence of reintroducing the sanitation exercise in 2019 by Gov. Abdullahi Sule.

The GM, who also appealed to chairmen of various local government areas to key into the exercise to ensure its sustainability, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance by members of the public during the December sanitation exercise, which is the last in 2023.

The GM described the level of compliance as impressive and attributed the successes to support from security agencies, traditional rulers, the media, and the inspection team from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

While commending the residents, especially shop owners, for clearing up drainages around their environments and shops as well as motorists for keeping off the roads during the exercise, called on members of the public to always keep their environments clean to guard against the outbreak of all diseases.

“Residents should cooperate more with the government towards ensuring that the state is clean in their best interest.

Meanwhile, 15 persons were apprehended in Lafia LGA for various offences ranging from transacting business to driving around during the hours set aside for the exercise.