Ado-Ekiti – The Ekiti Government on Monday advised residents to be very careful in the handling of fire during the dry season.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Chief Bisi Kolawale, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria,(NAN) in Ado-Ekiti.
Kolawale said the advice was imperative because of the rising incidents of fire disasters.
He said that government would view seriously those who engage in indiscriminate bush burning, especially now that the focus was on agriculture as a means of diversifying the state’s economy.
Kolawole implored farmers and hunters alike to avoid setting bushes on fire in an attempt to either clear farmlands for cultivation or to hunt for animals.
He also reminded enthusiastic residents celebrating the New Year of the subsisting police ban on use of fireworks.
The commissioner said that the state government was compelled to expend huge sums of money to provide succour to victims of avoidable carelessnesson yearly basis.
He reiterated government’s stance not to compensate those whose deliberate carelessness leads to damage or complete destruction of property.
Kolawole also advised residents buying plots of land during the dry season to be wary of flood-prone areas, stressing that the government would demolish structures located close to waterways and drainages.
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He called on indigenes of the state to contribute their quota to the development of the state in every diverse way possible.
According to him, government is ready to collaborate with genuine corporate bodies, private individuals as well as Non-Government Organisations as part of its Public Private Partnership policy.
The commissioner said the present administration in the state had recorded unprecedented successes in the implementation of its developmental agenda for the state.(NAN)