Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi, yesterday inaugurated four waste compactor trucks worth, several millions of naira, for use in the Ado-Ekiti metropolis, as part of steps geared towards ensuring a hygienic and safe capital city.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti while handing the trucks over to the Waste Management Authority (EKWMA), Governor Fayemi said the procurement became necessary following indiscriminate disposal of waste by residents, a situation he said could lead to an outbreak of diseases if not properly curtailed.
The governor said the trucks would help EKWMA discharge its duties effectively and discourage citizens’ indiscriminate disposal of wastes in the drains and water channels.
Fayemi noted that his administration had de-silted water channels and drainages to prevent flooding yet some residents preferred to dump refuse in the drains, leading to the blockage of many water channels and drainages.
EKWMA Sole Administrator, Bayo Kelekun, said the agency would begin a house-to-house collection of waste to prevent residents from littering the streets of Ado Ekiti with waste.
Kelekun, who said the state capital has been divided into four zones to make waste collection easier, urged residents to cooperate with government in ensuring a clean Ado Ekiti, adding that proper waste management would help in curtailing spread of some airborne diseases.