Abuja – The Permanent Secretary, FCT Administration, Mr John Chukwu, on Saturday inaugurated a 1.7km access road in Gosa, Air Port road.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the road, leading to one of the territory’s major waste dump sites, was constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Company Ltd. (CCECC), the company handling Abuja light rail project.
Speaking to newsmen at the site, Chukwu said the dump site, covering about 5,009 hectares, was earmarked to treat waste generated in the territory.
“Over the years, people dump refuse just anywhere, but we have started doing the right thing.
“The resident must help us. In some other countries, people sort out waste – the cans, the biodegradable and organic wastes.
“All of us must do the right thing, people are not even paying. This service is expensive. People will want to use Baban-bola (scavengers), rather than use our receptacles.
“People will rather not pay the token and yet they want the environment to be clean, there is no free lunch,’’ Chukwu said.
On herdsmen and scavengers roaming the city centre, the permanent secretary said the issue was being addressed.
Chukwu commended the CCECC for the project, which he said was done by the company as part of its corporate social responsibility to the FCT authority.
“If we do this contract, it would have cost us about N200 million, but the company has done it. I am very happy, I am very elated.
“I call on other contractors in the FCT to assist us, it should not only be business as usual, give something back,’’ he said.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
Also speaking, Mr Shehu Lawal, the Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), said scavenging had been banned in the city centre.
“Scavengers are restricted to dump sites because we do not want them in the city. This is the major dump site and they are supposed to operate here,’’ Lawal said. (NAN)