– ASWAMA Boss Begs Eke Awka Traders
By Michael Nnebife
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Anambra State Waste Management Agency, ASWAMA, Mr Mike Ozoemena, has appealed to traders at Eke Awka Market to take responsibility of the environment so as to help the agency carry out its duty in the market better.
The Managing Director made the appeal on Thursday, July 10, while speaking with the press in his office about the worrisome volume of waste that usually littered the Arthur Eze Avenue axis of the market.
Mr Ozoemena, who expressed satisfaction with the service of his agency in the market, attributed the worrisome volume of waste usually seen on the road mostly every morning, to the quantum of activities going on in the market.
‘Ordinarily, every market ought to have a waste handling area, but at Eke Awka, they had built up everywhere including the areas designated for waste handling,’ Ozoemena said.
‘So, what did we have to do? We resorted to the area near the market which ought not to have been done, but there is nothing we can do; our hands are tied,’ he said.
The Managing Director argued that waste management was not easy and urged the public to be patient with them, and encourage his agency.
‘People should give us some credit because every morning that place that is usually littered with waste is done to zero, that is, all the waste removed.
‘Yesterday, it was also done to zero. Tomorrow, if you get there in the morning, you will swear that we didn’t do anything there today.
‘People should exercise patience and understand that waste management is not an easy task, because waste is something that is built minute per minute.
‘It is a quantum of activities that go on in the market that cause that volume of waste you see there every morning.
‘But we don’t relax, we go there every morning with two or three vehicles to deal with it,’ the ASWAMA chief said, while pointing out some challenges facing the agency.
‘Sometimes, our vehicle will spoil and people begin to shout. But if you ask them to pay, they will still be shouting. Now, diesel is N1,350; these are some of our challenges.
‘I advise people to help us at least by paying ASWAMA levy so that we will have money to put more vehicles.
‘People’s duty is just to pay us, we will do the rest. We have capacity, we have the men and the equipment to do it, but please, let them help us,’ he pleaded.
He expressed dismay over the attitude of dumping refuse into the drainage and water ways, urging people to bag, tie and keep their waste where it would be easy for the agency to pick.
‘There are points where people can take their waste to, then we go and cart it away. So why putting it into the gutters and water ways?
‘We are begging people – please, live responsibly. Bag your waste, take it to a designated spot nearest to you to drop it,’ he advised, and disclosed that presently, the agency was doing street to street waste disposal and collection in Onitsha.
‘If your own is Wednesday, wait, on Wednesday, we come and take it inside our vehicle.
‘Again, buy waste basin. Nobody in this state has any reason to destroy the good work of Mr Governor by putting waste inside the drainage.
‘At least, we are sure that if ASWAMA doesn’t come to your area today, they will come tomorrow,’ the ASWAMA boss assured.
