The Commissioner for Environment, Hajia Nafisat Musa Buge, has stated that ‘Cleaner Kwara’ is one of the many Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s impactful initiatives and another landmark achievement of the current administration for the benefit of all in the entire state.

The Commissioner, while addressing the press at the 4th Quarter Inter-Ministerial Press Briefing, organised by the Ministry of Communications, at the Conference Hall of  Finance Ministry, GRA, Ilorin, the state capital, listed the 18 point new strategies being adopted by the Ministry of Environment, to sustain advocacy drive, for the “Cleaner Kwara” to include media and community engagement, electronic media jingles and customised caller tunes on environment sensitisation.

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The Commissioner, while explaining that the strategies in question are being used by engaging communities and the media, being aired on both Television and Radio, for a broader coverage to the people at the grassroots, stressed further that with the support of Governor AbdulRasaq, who made available necessary tool to work with, the Ministry was able to extend visitations to eateries, shops and bakeries, to ensure compliance with the set standards of hygiene and protect the general wellbeing of the people in the state.

“While on visitation, anyone found wanting, their shops, eateries or bakeries will be sealed to ensure compliance with the standard.

“Since my inception in office, the monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise was reviewed from 7 am to 10 am and sustained in compliance with the enabling laws on environmental sanitation in the state. The level of compliance has improved tremendously. The house-to-house inspection was also undertaken by the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) during the period under review.”

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According to Buge, “On the international scene, our ministry was privileged to fly the state’s banner as part of the National Contingent to both the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held at the New York and the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP’ 29) held at Baku, Azerbaijan “, she added.

The Commissioner was appreciative of Governor AbdulRazaq for believing in her course by making needed funds available for the Ministry to carry out its set goals, “which has helped in our collaboration with the Federal Ministries of Environment and Innovation, Science and Technology, where training was held on climate change, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and sustainable energy solution in the state, with participants drawn from communities, State Ministry, organised private sectors and students from secondary schools.

She was also grateful to the World Bank Assisted Project- Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACRESAL), an Agency/Project under the Ministry of Environment.

“In the quarter under view, 193 motorcycles were distributed to Agricultural Extension workers/services and 3,000 Energy-Saving Cooking Stoves designed to use eco-friendly materials produced from “waste” as an alternative to charcoal, christened “Edu Ramoni” were distributed to some women in the state,” Buge added.

She further explained that the “Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with Abral Development Initiatives, made available 160,000 trees to be planted across the state, to sustain our beautiful nature. The afforestation project was unveiled at Ijagbo in Oyun Local Government Area of the state.

“The Environmental Taskforce, which was constituted in the third quarter, are still active, and their activities have immensely reduced the indiscriminate dumping of refuse scavenging but enhanced the state Internal Generated Revenue.

“The recently commissioned Flower Garden is also being used to drive additional revenue, and the medium-sized waste collection bins are also being sold at a subsided rate of Thirty-four thousand naira (#34,000) only,” she concluded.

In her remark, the Hon Commissioner for Communications, Mrs Bola Olukoju, who also is the Chairperson of the Inter-ministerial press briefing, appreciated the Commissioner’s unrelenting teamwork with the Staff and Taskforce of the Ministry in sustaining ‘Cleaner Kwara’.

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