Bolanle Akanji
Moderator
Residents of the Abuja on Friday asked the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to be flexible in enforcing sanitation laws.
Some Residents complained that the sanction imposed by the board was too harsh, while others said the board should be more civil and increase awareness among the people.
Festus Ojo, a resident of Garki, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the AEPB should not be too harsh in enforcing sanitation laws. He explained that some of the residents prefer to keep waste receptacles at the back of their houses for safety reasons, the AEPB considers this move as a violation of its law.
``There are times we keep our dustbins outside and by the time we return from work they are stolen. It is better they come regularly to educate and even persuade us. The use of force or sanction is not always effective,” he said.
Another resident, Mr Ada Halilu, said ``it has become difficult to comprehend what constitute an offence under AEPB regulations. Any notice they give us, we comply, and we do our best to ensure that our environment is clean, but most times they do not come to collect the wastes."
Halilu also advised the board to provide bigger waste bins for evacuation of refuses.
The Acting Director of AEPB, Mrs Aishat Adebayo denied the accusations of force saying the board employs civil methods in enforcing its regulations and only applied sanction as a last option.
``We monitor compliance and in cases where residents fail to comply, we move our mobile courts to the neighbourhood to try such offenders,” she said.
Some Residents complained that the sanction imposed by the board was too harsh, while others said the board should be more civil and increase awareness among the people.
Festus Ojo, a resident of Garki, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the AEPB should not be too harsh in enforcing sanitation laws. He explained that some of the residents prefer to keep waste receptacles at the back of their houses for safety reasons, the AEPB considers this move as a violation of its law.
``There are times we keep our dustbins outside and by the time we return from work they are stolen. It is better they come regularly to educate and even persuade us. The use of force or sanction is not always effective,” he said.
Another resident, Mr Ada Halilu, said ``it has become difficult to comprehend what constitute an offence under AEPB regulations. Any notice they give us, we comply, and we do our best to ensure that our environment is clean, but most times they do not come to collect the wastes."
Halilu also advised the board to provide bigger waste bins for evacuation of refuses.
The Acting Director of AEPB, Mrs Aishat Adebayo denied the accusations of force saying the board employs civil methods in enforcing its regulations and only applied sanction as a last option.
``We monitor compliance and in cases where residents fail to comply, we move our mobile courts to the neighbourhood to try such offenders,” she said.