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Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
The Borno State Government said it is targeting N100 million from solid waste management in its 2020 budget.
General Manager, Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA), Nasiru Burundi, told reporters during the launch of the sanitation exercise in Maiduguri on Saturday that the state currently generates huge quantities of solid waste enough for recycling and commercial value.
“Apart from Lagos and Kano, Borno has very large quantity of solid waste. This is a big asset to us to recycle and we are targeting this in the 2020 budget. The waste management alone should give us up to N100 million,” Burundi said.
He noted that the influx of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) into Maiduguri has increased waste generation in the state, with the city becoming increasingly dirty as residents dispose their waste indiscriminately despite the presence of many waste bins provided by the government at various locations.
He explained that the poor disposal of waste and dirt in the city prompted the government to re-introduce the sanitation exercise which will be held every first Saturday of the month. He noted that reports public hospitals indicated a connection between sicknesses, disease outbreaks and poor hygiene.
“There are many IDPs in the city and this has also increased the volume of waste often dumped indiscriminately. There are multiple complaints from hospitals, especially with increase in malaria cases, the drainages are filled up with dirts,” he explained.
The sanitation exercise, which was intrioduced by the military administration about 30 years ago, was suspended by the civilian administration in 1999. However, there was low participation by residents as many stayed indoor throughout the clean up period which lasted until about 10 am.
