By Balimwor Ekpe
The Cross River environmental sanitation exercise which is aimed at restoring the clean, green and serene status of the state yesterday commenced with indigene and residents participating in cleaning of gutters, clearing of grasses and waste around their premises.
The Government of His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu had on assumption of office in 2023 directed the commencement of the state wide environmental sanitation exercise through the Cross River ministry of environment.
The environmental sanitation exercise which was held on Saturday across the state attained compliance from the people, as the commissioner for environment, Honourable Moses Osogi in company of members of the environmental taskforce of his ministry monitored the exercise in calabar, the Sate Capital.
Hon. Osogi who supervised the exercise in different parts of the metropolis which includes, Calabar Municipality, Watt market, Marian market, Atimbo, 8 miles , Edim Otop, Calabar South, Etagbo and Marian road axis where the environmental sanitation exercise was effectively carried out by residents.
Our correspondent who also monitored the exercise, observed that motorists and business owners who were found operating at the hours of the sanitation exercise suffered seizure of their goods and impounding of their vehicles by the taskforce team of the ministry of environment.
The commissioner while interacting with press men, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance from the people of calabar and further said that the environmental sanitation exercise has come to stay in Cross River.
“The essence of the exercise is for the attainment of a clean, green and serene state. The seized goods would be taken to the calabar dump site for proper disposal while the impounded vehicles would be taken to his office and will be released to the owners after they have been penalized.
“This action is to serve as deterrent to defaulters for violating the sanitation laws of the state. There is no excuse because different media channels through the ministry had announced today as statewide sanitation exercise in Cross River, which restricts vehicular and human movements on the major roads, as everybody is expected to be in their homes cleaning their premises.”
Honourable Osogi also stated that operations of the sanitation mobile courts will be set up at various parts of the state during the next environmental sanitation exercise, where defaulters arrested would be handed over to the mobile court for prosecution, he emphasized that cleanliness has come to stay in the State.
