Chairman of Delta State Taskforce on Environment, Chief Godspower Omafuvwe Asiuwhu, on Tuesday convened a strategic meeting aimed at resolving operational issues between members of the state taskforce and environmental health offices in the 25 local government councils of Delta state.
Present at the meeting were Chief Asiuwhu, members of the taskforce from the local government areas and heads of environmental departments in the local government councils. The meeting was held at the state secretariat complex on Tuesday.
Part of the issues at the meeting which lasted for over four hours dwelt on operational conflicts, multiple taskforce groups, rules of engagement, professional conduct of both parties, exploitation of residents in the local communities, unauthorized approvals, serving of abatement notices, impersonations of state taskforce team and other issues that bother on managing finance that emanate from fines and others.
Addressing both parties who were well represented, the state taskforce chairman, Chief Asiuwhu emphasized the importance of cooperation between state and local environmental officers, insisting that all activities must adhere to the law establishing the taskforce and the environmental health departments with the objective of keeping Delta clean and habitable for Deltans.
Asiuwhu expressed concern over unregulated environmental practices by some local governments and reiterated that enforcement or abatement actions must align with state directives to avoid duplication of efforts, a development which will result to wasted resources.
Chief Asiuwhu called for a unified approach, stating that the Delta State Taskforce on Environment was established to provide holistic enforcement and oversight across all local government areas of the state.
He urged local government environmental health officers to collaborate with the state taskforce to eliminate discrepancies and build public confidence in the state’s environmental policies.
Though he agreed that some anomalies in the workings of the two bodies, he noted that the meeting had cemented all the challenges and opened a new working relationship among them.
He said: “The meeting is for us to work in synergy. We only want clean Delta State. Before now, the health officers felt there was conflict but unknown to them what is happening at the field is not from the state taskforce officers. There are lots of touts parading as taskforce officers. We are going to flush them out.”
Mrs. Nkechi Amaraegbu, Director of Administration for the State Taskforce, emphasized involvement of qualified environmental health officers in enforcement and prosecution processes to maintain professionalism and credibility.
Similarly, President of the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (Delta State Chapter), Mr. Jeffrey Obadaya, commended the chairman’s proactive approach to resolving conflicts and ensuring effective environmental management.
Esther Edafienene, state secretary of Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN), also called synergy between the taskforce team and the environmental health officers in thr local government areas.
She claimed as unprofessional for taskforce members to serve abatement notices to hotels and other organizations, as ask them to pay money, saying the local government health officers have had issues with them in matters of professionalism.
However, she said with the intervention of the state taskforce chairman, the synergy and working relationships have been established.
Mr. Collins Eneanya, zonal head of the taskforce in Sapele, called for clearer distinctions between certified taskforce personnel and untrained individuals exploiting the public. He reaffirmed the commitment of taskforce members to upholding the law and protecting the state government’s reputation.
Key resolutions reached at the meeting were Unified Enforcement Framework, a resolution that all environmental enforcement actions across Delta State would be carried out in synergy between the state taskforce and local government environmental departments to avoid duplication, conflicts, and undue burdens on citizens.
Another resolution reached is the taskforce commitment to eliminating cases of multiple taxation and exploitation of residents by touts who parade themselves as local taskforce officers.
The meeting also resolved that local government council should streamline their processes and ensure transparency in revenue collection.
In the same vein, the meeting agreed on the need for qualified personnel in environmental health to replace retiring professionals with trained officers.
It was also resolved that there should be introduction of regular capacity-building programs to enhance the efficiency of environmental officers.
In alignment with the MORE Agenda of the state government, the stakeholders pledged to intensify efforts to ensure a cleaner environment free from health hazards and diseases. Strategies in this regard include community sensitization, stricter enforcement of sanitation laws, and prosecution of environmental offenders.
The meeting concluded with a renewed determination to foster a sustainable and healthy environment across Delta State, assuring that all activities will align with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s vision of a cleaner, greener, and safer Delta.
