Expand Sanitation Campaign Beyond Nasarawa Capital, Residents Urge Govt

Despite the current “Keep Nasarawa Clean’ environmental sanitation campaign, some residents of Nasarawa State believe that the state government needs to do more by practically extending it beyond the state capital to other parts of the state to check epidemics.

This followed calls by the residents to sanitation authorities in the state to clear refuse dumps in some places outside the capital.

Residents who spoke to our reporter at the weekend cited the refuse dump directly in front of Leadway Academy at Double Pole area of New Nyanya/Ado which has been giving them serious cause for concern.

They said the refuse dump which is adjacent to drinking joints and local restaurants had also become a spot for open defecation.

Mr Adaji Samuel who owns a house in the area urged the state’s environmental authorities to quickly clear the refuse as it poses serious danger to the health of residents. He suggested that the authorities could dig a big hole and cover the refuse if they can’t fully clear it as children usually go there to pick items from the refuse.

Another resident who said her children attends a church close to the refuse dump urged the state ministry of environment to clear the area and barricade it.  She said such a refuse should not be allowed to exist especially as a school and churches are nearby. She urged the authorities to quickly set the machinery in motion to remove the refuse.

Other residents who spoke to our reporter sited the “Keep Nasarawa Clean” environmental sanitation tractor that has been parked on the highway along Mararaba Road for some months now while a heap of refuse exists close by. They urged the state government to move into areas with similar problems and sanitise them to prevent outbreak of diseases.