Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) has placed a ban on cart pushers and warned them to steer clear of streets and roads of Port Harcourt, the state capital, and its environs.
RIWAMA Sole Administrator Felix Obuah, who announced the ban, said the order took effect from last Tuesday, after the February 17 expiration of the deadline given to them to vacate the streets and roads of the capital.
Obuah reiterated his earlier warning to cart pushers to comply with the directive or risk the impounding and destruction of their carts.
He renewed the warning while addressing cart pushers along Ada George, Elioparanwo, NTA, East-West roads in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area during his routine morning monitoring exercise of major streets and roads in Port Harcourt.
The Sole Administrator said the ban on cart pushers remained in force, insisting that it would be in their interest to heed the warning.
Obuah explained that the ban became necessary as their activities had become a nuisance and were turning some areas into an eyesore with the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the streets and roads.
He regretted that the activities of the cart pushers were not only condemnable, but also amounted to a deliberate attempt at sabotaging the efforts of the Agency to restore the Garden City status of Port Harcourt.
The Agency’s boss pointed out that a lot of resources have been committed by state governor Nyesom Wike to ensure a clean and healthy state.
He added that RIWAMA would not fold its hands and allow individuals or groups to sabotage his efforts.
Obuah called on residents and those doing business in the state to support the governor’s environmental policy by keeping their homes and surroundings clean at all times.