PS, Delta State Ministry Of Environment, Dr. (Mrs) Minnie Oseji Visits The State’s Environmental Agencies- DELSEPA, NEWMAP, DTSWMB, DTSIF, Others.
………As Environment Ministry, Agencies Develop Plan Of Action To Solve Operational Constraints.
….As Environment Ministry Pledges Strong Partnership With Waste Management Board, Waste Managers, Stakeholders, Others, Urges for Environmental Safety And Good Personal Hygiene.
By Victor Bieni, Asaba
The Permanent Secretary, Delta State Ministry of Environment, Dr. Mrs Minnie Oseji on a two- day inspection tour of the State’s Environmental Agencies, Stated that the Ministry has developed plans of action in solving operational constraints.
Dr (Mrs) Oseji stated this on a two-day tour (Monday and Tuesday) when she visited Delta State Environmental Protection Agency (DELSEPA) and the Delta State Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), Delta State Waste Management Board (DTSWMB) today as she addressed newsmen after the familiarization visit in Asaba, Delta State capital, while acknowledging the agencies’ potentials to protect the environment and prevent hazardous matters from constituting health hazards to Deltans.
Dr. Oseji observed that the Science Laboratory of DELSEPA remained underutilized, stressing that the plan of action was to develop inventories of the equipment to determine their conditions for change or repairs, and the nominal roll of staff to ascertain their competence and sufficiency, while she then stressed that not much has been done since the inception of the agency (DELSEPA) in the laboratory, saying that it is not just the political commitment that we should be looking for, but also the professional commitment.
According to Dr Oseji, ‘’We all need to be passionate about what we are doing so that we can find a way to make best use of the limited resources at our disposal. So, we are looking forward to an improvement”. Dr. Mrs Minnie Oseji charged NEWMAP to develop key performance indicators, for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), which would be taken seriously to achieve results and justify resources deployed for projects.
In his remarks, the General Manager, DELSEPA, Sir Victor Okolie, expressed confidence in the professional prowess of the Permanent Secretary to revive the agency, even as he called on the state government to consider injecting more funds into the agency for better performance. Also, Director of Administration, NEWMAP, Mr Jacob Kahgo who briefed the Permanent Secretary on the structure and achievements of the projects since its inception, worried of the negative behaviors of residents towards the environment.
In the words of Dr. (Mrs) Oseji: “We call for collaboration with waste managers in the state. This inspection tour to the Delta State Integrated Facility in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government, and other Environmental Agencies in the State will be sustained. We call for Strong Partnership with other Stakeholders. There is need for the Facility to help in actualising fund for the state”.
Accessing the Integrated facility at Ibusa, Dr. (Mrs) Oseji said: “it was still at the planning stage as there have not commenced implementation. There were quite some challenges, which we believe that the government and contractors can identify those challenges and come up with ways forward so that the facilities will be put into use, to enable final proper disposal of waste in the state. The Facilities for waste management has been completed and used and
there was need to continuous use, though there were some bottle neck and funding which was the major issue”. She
Added that there was need to look at the sources of funding so as to sustain it. We also need to create awareness by sensitizing the general public for them to know that the facilities is available”.
Speaking on the way forward she said that the Ministry would sit with the authorities in the facility and come out with a short term action plan and how to reactivate it and make sure that it is useful. She added that there was need to articulate where and how government can come in. To this end, the inspection tour continued to the Delta State dumpsite in Ibusa. Also to Solid Chemical Recycling Company, where she charged them to ensure safety against hazard in their duties and allow investors to key into their activities so as to grow in business, respectively.
In another development, Dr (.Mrs) Minnie Oseji paid a courtesy visit to the state Waste Management Board. She charged the Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Chinye to ensure that the waste managers were well dressed for safety purpose and that awareness of their activities should be brought to the public so that there should bmaintain good personal hygiene.
In response to the gesture on the visit of the PS, the Chairman, Delta State Waste Management Board (DTSWMB) said the Board, Hon. Emmanuel Chinye Stated that the agency has focus on evacuation of waste and that means through which waste can be used to generate fund for the state government.
Hon Chinye said he has also seen to it that refuse were bagged for disposal and engage the service of the Asaba community youth to chase scavengers and ensure sanity at the dump sites.
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