.Orders closure of hotel, sachet water firm
By Valentine Amanze
Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha CON, has called on the chairmen of Interim Management Committees (IMC) and chairmen of ENTRACO in the 27 local governments to rid the councils of filth and ensure a healthy environment.
He also warned that he would take appropriate actions against any LGA chairman or ENTRACO official, who failed to keep his council clean.
Besides, th governor has ordered the immediate shutdown of a hotel, M2 International Guest House, Amakohia; and Tapa Pure Water, Orji over a physical attack on ENTRACO Enforcement Team on Illegal Dumping of Refuse which was on a lawful duties.
At a meeting with the LGA chairmen and ENTRACO officials at the Government House, Owerri, Monday, Governor Ihedioha declared as unacceptable the current state of sanitation, particularly in the state capital, Owerri, and harped on the need to adopt strategies to improve on refuse collection and disposal across the state, especially during the Yuletide period.
The governor also urged Alex Emeziem, the Special Adviser on Sanitation and Environment and General Manager, ENTRACO and his team to immediately ensure an improvement on the sanitation in the state.
His words:
“We must make Imo very clean and healthy. Therefore, I want to see a rapid improvement on our culture of sanitation to rid the state of dirt.”
The governor warned that his administration would not tolerate any form of attack on any government official on his or her lawful duties. He further charged citizens to be law-abiding and cooperate with the government to deliver on its promises.
While stressing the need for ENTRACO to ensure self-funding to carry out its activities, he vowed not to put the state under further debt burden, adding that citizens should comply with the payment of sanitation levy to enable ENTRACO discharge its mandate effectively.
He also urged them to generate revenue for their activities and programmes, noting that all over the world, refuse management which include refuse collection, gathering and disposal, has become big business venture, and urged the LGA chairmen to involve the youths within their domains to take active part in refuse disposal.
He also directed LGA chairmen to set up ENTRACO units in the 27 LGAs as part of measures to ensure effective waste management across the state.