As reported by Punch, more than 200 residents in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, were apprehended and prosecuted by mobile courts last Saturday for breaching state sanitation laws. The Kwara State Environmental Task Force arrested offenders from various parts of the capital during the monthly sanitation exercise conducted across all 16 Local Government Areas.

According to a statement from Kamaldeen Aliagan, press secretary for the Ministry of Environment, those found guilty were fined between N10,000 and N50,000, depending on the severity of their infractions. The monthly initiative mandates a three-hour window from 7 am to 10 am on the last Saturday of each month for residents to engage in community-wide cleaning, including waste disposal and clearing of drainage systems, aimed at promoting public health and environmental hygiene.

According to the statement, the state government has again warned residents to continually abide by the environmental laws of the state, to enhance a clean and healthy environment, habitable to all and as well attract investors, for the overall development of the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Hajia Nafisat Buge, said in an interaction with the press, during the monthly sanitation exercise, across the entire state.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Abubakar Ayinla, the commissioner said she was excited at the level of compliance among the residents of the state, adding, “With what we observed today in the metropolis and the reports received from Local Government Areas of the state, the level of compliance has drastically improved.

“More efforts therefore need to be put in place, to ensure sustainability, to promote a hygienic environment with the aim of preventing epidemics,” the commissioner stressed.

Buge, however, expressed displeasure about some commercial motor parks violating the sanitation law, warning them to desist henceforth from such actions capable of sabotaging the environmental law, with an appeal that Kwarans should adhere strictly to sanitation laws of the state for the benefit of all.

The commissioner further warned that the ministry would no longer tolerate anyone, especially commercial transporters, who flouted the environmental law during the monthly exercise in the state.

Buge however commended security agencies and various voluntary organisations, for their tireless support at ensuring a smooth sanitation.

She also charged members of the public not to relent in their efforts to make Kwara a pacesetter, as a clean and hygienic state.