By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha
In order to maintain healthy and clean environment in Anambra State, the agency popularly known as Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra ( Ocha Brigade) serving in Onitsha has intensified action to stop open defecation.
Actually, Ocha Brigade unit in charge of Borromeo round about, Owerri road axis, Upper Iweka to Bridge head deserves commendation especially in the area of fighting against open defecation which has reduced for sometime now in comparison with previous years when all gutters at Upper Iweka Onitsha and their surroundings were littered with human faeces.
Speaking to newsmen on this achievement, the unit coordinator of the mentioned areas, Mr Ejike Odife disclosed that all gutters and surroundings at Upper Iweka and environs must be neat and attractive under his watch.
He explained that Government had spent a lot of money to ensure that all the environments in Anambra State were neat and decent, saying that cleanliness is next to Godliness. He expressed satisfaction that Ocha Brigade was seriously enforcing the order.
Odife said: “Our primary objective is to make sure that Anambra State is neat. Before, all the gutters are blocked with wastes, human faeces inside and outside gutters but now, nothing like that again because we apprehend defaulters on a daily basis.
” Our duty is also to clear street trading especially at the express way, give notice to people to clean their gutters in order to pave way for easy flow of flood. We apprehend those that are throwing wastes inside gutters and those defecating faeces and urine in open places.
“Street trading is one of our major challenges as well as those who want us to be compromised with our work. But now, Government has provided us with mobile court. What I intend doing is that I will not confiscate wares of the defaulters. I will first give the person warning severally to vacate but, if the person ignores it, when we apprehend him or her, we charge the person to our mobile court and before we allow the person to go, the person will fill form, put his passport and sign understanding that he or she will not stay in the particular place to trade any more.
” Any day we apprehend such a person again, we take the person to prison because if we apprend and collect money from the person and allow him to go, tomorrow he will go back again and stay in the street and start trading. Just like case of open defection, some will be directed to go for community services, others might be asked to sweep gutter and pay fine , while some will be asked to pay only fine. It depends on the individual offences, “Odife concluded.
He further hinted that in his unit, they normally conduct orientation every Monday when people observed sit-at-home, saying that they used the period to educate staff on what to do and things they would not do.
