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Mayor of Housing calls for restoration of Garden City status
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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Government and the Mayor of Housing have called for an end to harmful activities against the environment to forestall catastrophe in the state.
They called for activities that would reduce harm to the environment and the return of the Garden City status of Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The state government, through its Ministry of Environment, expressed concerns that most citizens and oil companies have acted in ways that harmed the waterways, creeks, sewage ways, gutters, and even homes and markets.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Allwell Okereuku, said there is an impending man-made disaster in the environment sector.
He said Port Harcourt was historically celebrated across Nigeria for its vegetation and cleanliness, a reputation that has been eroded by human attitudes and actions.
The permanent secretary lamented that flooding and erosion remain major threats, insisting that many of these challenges were man-made.
He said, ‘What we are experiencing today —floods, erosion and other environmental challenges — is largely a result of human activities. It constitutes one of the greatest challenges facing the environment today.”
Okereuku urged residents to maintain cleaner surroundings and avoid construction on natural waterways and drainage channels.
He said oil companies were not left out in whatever has happened to the environment of the state, observing that “while human activities account for many local sanitation issues, the oil companies did not do well.”
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He noted that while the state welcomes oil companies and provides an enabling environment for their operations, some of their activities continue to inflict significant environmental damage.
He saw the 2026 World Environment Day as a wake-up opportunity, stating that the ministry had prepared officially approved activities to mark the occasion.
Okereuku declared: “The people of Rivers State owe a duty to the environment and to themselves to maintain a clean, green environment.”
He, however, exonerated the state governor on the growing agitation by the residents of Port Harcourt, the capital, over mounting refuse.
According to him, the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, usually discharges his monthly statutory obligation to the sanitation agency.
Speaking with newsmen, My-ACE China, who sees the World Environment Day as an important opportunity for cities that care to review their environmental activities and regulations, said it draws global attention to the importance of sustainable living and environmental stewardship.
He said the future of Rivers State lies in the renaissance of its past. “Rivers State was once proudly known as the Garden City. But, somewhere along the way, we forgot about the garden in the Garden City. We stopped tending it. We stopped growing it. We stopped nurturing it. We stopped celebrating it.”
China emphasised that the citizens have an opportunity to change that narrative. “It is time to restore the garden to the Garden City. It is time to return greenery to our communities, reintroduce environmental consciousness into our developments, and create a culture that values nature as much as it values progress.
“Many people spend their lives searching for greener pastures elsewhere, but the truth is that there are no greener pastures anywhere in the world. There are only gardens that have been better maintained. The difference is not location. The difference is stewardship.
“If we commit ourselves to planting trees, preserving green spaces, maintaining our environment, and building communities that respect nature, Rivers State can once again become a model of environmental excellence.”
The Mayor of Housing charged Rivers people: “Let us make our garden green again. Let us restore the Garden City—not just in name, but in reality. That responsibility belongs to all of us.”
