From Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Governor David Umahi's led government said on Saturday that it would widen its monthly sanitation exercise to the outskirts of Ebonyi State.
The State Commissioner for the Environment, Grant, and Donor Agencies in Ebonyi State, Dr Richard Nnabu disclosed this to journalists after today's sanitation exercise in Abakaliki metropolitan area.
The Commissioner noted that the just concluded sanitation exercise was extended to the suburbs, and however, said the monthly environmental clean up would afterwards be extended to the hinterlands of the state for wider impacts on encouraging hygiene and safe surrounding.
"Even though we have not been able to cover everywhere, today, we moved down into the outskirts of Abakaliki and expect that subsequent exercise would be taken outside the state capital," Nnabu hinted.
He expressed his ministry's readiness to sustain the monthly sanitation exercise in the State.
He recalled: "Before now there were some challenges, the ministry could not continue the monthly sanitation, however, we've been able to address those challenges, we resumed in September, and we had a 99% success, and we have decided to continue with the exercise every Saturday of every month.
"We have realized that the citizens are happy, because they have been yearning for it, and that September exercise gave us encouragement to continue."
Dr Nnabu advised the members of the public to collaborate with the ministry in keeping the state clean, as he commended them for participating in today's sanitation exercise.
One of the observers during the exercise, Dr Kelechukwu Okezie - the Director of the Neighborhood Environment Watch Foundation, commended the effort of Commissioner Nnabu with his team from the Ministry of Environment for ensuring that sanitation exercises began again in the State.
He emphasized the importance of environmental management to the health and sustenance of the environment and development of the society.
"For a long time it was abandoned, and a lot of people reversed to negative behaviour, with this reintroduction, I think the consciousness that people should take sanitation as a serious business," Dr Okezie said.
