Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Oyo State Local Government Service Commission have called on Environment Health Officers in the State to rededicate themselves to duty by redoubling their efforts at ensuring a clean environment and strict compliance to state environmental laws, as it relates to street trading and indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
The call was made by the Ministry of Environment in conjunction with Oyo State Local Government Service Commission during an interactive session with the Director of Environmental Health Services across local governments in the state, recently.
While addressing the Environment Health Officers, the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Local Government Service Commission Deacon Taiwo Olafimihan Adewale stated that the lackadaisical attitudes of the general public towards a healthy environment are no longer acceptable to the current administration in the state adding that the state government has concluded plans to enforce strict compliance to state environmental laws to guarantee a healthy living and safety of lives in the state.
The Permanent Secretary further said that one of the major agenda of the Omituntun 2.0 of His Excellency Engr Seyi Makinde is to guarantee a healthy environment and healthy living in the state which he said propelled the ongoing synergy with the Ministry of Environment.
“For the administration to achieve its desired goal, the Environment Health Officers must key into the administration’s plan to effect a cleaner and saner environment which propelled the ongoing synergy with the Ministry of Environment. I, therefore, urged you to be proactive and be more dedicated to your duties,” the Permanent Secretary charged. He further assured that additional basic tools would be provided to enhance their performance.
Speaking in the same vein, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs. M.E Adeleye implored the Environment Health Officers not to compromise their responsibilities but diligently discharge their duties in tandem with the existing environmental laws. She added that the state government has put in place all necessary mechanisms for effective and outright results.
The Permanent Secretary further disclosed that some environmental tools were already on the ground for local governments to take delivery for proper disposal and evacuation of refuse. Mrs Adeleye assured that all the challenges raised by the Environmental Health Officers would be addressed particularly, the lack of manpower, adequate machinery, and others adding that the state government was resolute in ensuring a very healthy and decent environment in the state. She reiterated the charge to the Environment Health Officers to be mindful of their conduct and appealed to them to redouble their efforts for effective compliance with the state environmental laws.
In his response, on behalf of the Environmental
Health Officers, the Ag. chairman of the Conference of Directors of Environmental Health Services, Sanitarian Tijani Abiodun commended the state government’s moves to enforce the existing environmental laws and noted that it would bring sanity to the environment and the society. The Environmental Health Officers across the local governments in the State would try their best for successful implementation of the state environmental program, he assured.
Stakeholders at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Service Commission, Deacon Taiwo Olafimihan Adewale, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs, E. O Adeleye, and other officials of the Ministry and the Commission, Also in attendance, were the Directors and Ag. Directors of Environmental Health Services from the 33 Local Governments and 35LCDA in Oyo State.
