By David Onwuchekwa
The Anambra State Government’s reported decision to strictly enforce its environmental laws, with stiff fines ranging from ₦20,000 to ₦1 million for indiscriminate dumping of sachet water nylons, PET bottles, plastics and other refuse, should ordinarily be applauded.
After all, no sane society celebrates filth. A clean environment is not only desirable; it is essential for public health, urban aesthetics and sustainable development.
However, beyond the good intentions expressed by the Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, the reality on ground raises serious concerns about the practicability and sincerity of this policy.
As it stands, the implementation appears, regrettably, dead on arrival. Worse still, it risks becoming yet another avenue for harassment, extortion and rent-seeking by touts, overzealous task forces and unscrupulous government agents who may exploit the directive for personal gain rather than environmental protection.
The fundamental questions remain unanswered. What concrete steps have successive state and local governments taken to provide functional, accessible and sufficient refuse evacuation systems? Where are the designated dumping sites across urban centres and rural communities? Are they evenly distributed, properly managed and easily accessible to residents, businesses and industries that generate waste on a daily basis?
It is unreasonable, and indeed unjust, to threaten citizens with arrests, prosecutions and crippling fines when the basic infrastructure for proper waste disposal is either grossly inadequate or completely absent.
Environmental compliance cannot be achieved by intimidation alone. Laws work best when citizens are given the means to obey them without undue hardship.
A policy that instils fear and discomfort in the populace, without first addressing the structural gaps in waste management, sends the wrong message. Environmental responsibility is a shared duty, but government bears the primary responsibility of creating the enabling environment, through regular waste evacuation, provision of bins, establishment of dump sites, recycling initiatives and sustained public enlightenment.
If the Anambra State Government truly seeks a cleaner and healthier environment, it must first do the needful. Once the systems are in place and functioning, compliance will naturally follow, and enforcement will be seen not as oppression, but as a collective commitment to a better society.
