By Chijioke Oye
ANIOCHA North Local Government Area Environmental Taskforce has commenced demolition of illegal structures and evacuation of waste blocking drainages in the metropolis.
The Chairman of the Local Government Environmental Taskforce and Special Duties, Hon. Tobe Ukwamedua; the Supervisor for Environmental Health, Hon. Ukamaka Ndubuokwu, and the Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman of the Local Government, Hon. Ndubuisi Osemene led the taskforce to dislodge of illegal structures along the township roads and streets within Issele-Uku.
The taskforce began their activities from the Local Government Secretariat, where they cleared massive offcuts from overgrown trees, in and out of the premises of the Secretariat as well as dislodged illegal occupants along the front perimeter fence of the Council.
Residents, in conjunction with members of the taskforce were also seen de-silting and clearing the drains. Resultant debris was also seen being packed with Pay-loader into trucks and taken to the designated dump sites within Issele-Uku. The Director of Environmental Health of the Council, Mr. Raphael Onwuegbuzia and other members of the Department of Environmental Health of the Council, joined in ensuring proper supervision of the environmental activities.
Speaking with Journalists during the exercise that lasted for several hours, Hon. Toby Ukwamedua said the exercise was as a result of the matching order given to the Taskforce by the Chairman of the Local Government to ensure aggressive clean up, not only in Issele-Uku, but in all the communities in Aniocha North.
According to him, “Issele-Uku being the headquarters of Aniocha North, we are starting here. We sent a demand notice for people who have illegal structures such as buildings on waterways, high tension wire, extensions to the drains and roads. “We told them about two weeks ago that last Saturday in the Month of August, being an environmental day, we would commence to enforce the demand notice.
“As you can see, today being the last Saturday in the Month of August, we have started, but in a very soft way, because of the hard time our people are facing, we don’t want to put them into much stress.
“We decided to only dislodge the illegal building extensions today, sending a kind of warning to building material sellers and others who drive Joy in going against the Local Government environmental laws by building illegal extensions and stores on the drains and on the roads.
“We have again given them more time to do the needful, because by next time, we are not going to be soft while taking action on the demand notice.
“We are asking them to remove their illegal shops and their material out of the drains and away from the road, so that there will be free flow of traffic, for the local government area to have a new look and be beautiful.” Also in a chat with journalists, the Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman of the Council, Hon. Ndubuisi Osemene said with the clearing of the drains, Issele-Uku will experience more free flow of flood water, even as he revealed that plans are on the way for a comprehensive del-salting of drains in Issele-Uku and other communities in Aniocha North Local Government Area.
He appreciated the Aniocha North Council Boss, Hon Emma Bazim Chinye for his forthrightness in bringing about an environmentally friendly area for the people.
