Waste Management FG Targets Satellite Town

Patrick Osadebamwen

Gate-way towns and satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory and its environment have been identified as strategic component area to be included in the federal government initiative on clean and sustainable environment programme.

This was highlighted during the inauguration of the Committee on Clean up of some selected satellite towns around the Federal Capital Territory, by the Minister of Environment Mr. John Ogar Odey at Mabushi Abuja.

The Minister of Environment said the action was part of government commitment to ensure that the country is not only kept clean but to conform to global standards maintaining a sustainable environment in the country.

Odey who was represented by his permanent secretary Dr. Biodun Olorunfemi said like the environment, our towns and cities are central to the nation’s socio-economic and political activities adding that the town and cities require maximum attention in terms of environmental cleanliness and aesthetics as necessary ingredients to attracting foreign investors.

In his remark the, Dr. Olorunfemi stated that Nigeria cannot continue to call on foreign investors to invest in the country while it at the same time the country closes its eyes to the issues of environmental sanitation which goes a long way to enhance our image as a people who care for the environment.

Terms of reference for the committee in the short term includes immediate cleaning of the backlog of garbage around the FCT,; develop a strategy of continuous collection and disposal of waste and developing a sustainable funding mechanism as well as a strategy for Waste to wealth and waste to energy programmes to be integrated into the master plan of the satellite towns.

The committee would also concretize strategic plan of relevant state and local government areas as well as develop proposals for the federal government intervention in these areas.

While the medium term would focus on the federal government provision of equipment for the activities it would also look at a long term programme in the areas of private sector participation in clean-up and development of sustainable mechanism for waste generation and collection.