Ministries of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Environment and Health have launched a joint war against filths and environmental degradation in Abuja, the nation’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The three ministries flagged off the programme in Kuje, the capital of Kuje Area Council of the FCT on Saturday. The theme of the war is “Clean Environment; Our collective responsibility for a healthy living.”
The ceremony was also attended by the Directors General and heads of Agencies and Pararstatals under the FCT Administration and Federal Ministry of Environment.
Speaking at the launching, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello made it clear that Abuja has a unique position as the capital of Nigeria and therefore should be the major gateway into the country.
He said that the FCT Clean-up exercise is not just a sanitation exercise but a re-orientation effort in line with the Change Agenda of the Federal Government.
He advised Abuja residents to change their attitude to the way they used to do things, saying: “we must tell ourselves the truth that our environment is very dirty and that the responsibility for ensuring a clean and healthy environment lies on us. It must start from our households, our communities and our towns and cities. A clean environment is our collective responsibility for a healthy living.
“I therefore enjoin all of us to work hard in re-introducing community efforts in environmental sanitation through grassroots mobilization and to fashion out new ways of changing our attitude and the psyche of our younger ones in order to ensure a sustainable clean and healthy environment.”
Muhammadu Bello called on the Area Councils’ Chairmen and Traditional rulers to organize their communities to tackle the issue of refuse that used to litter in all the nook and crannies of the Federal Capital Territory.
This was even as the Minister of Environment, Hajiya Amina Mohammed said that clean environment would make for healthy living.
According to Hajiya Amina, healthy people are more productive at work place even as healthy communities offer a more lucrative market for goods and services.
The Environment minister emphasised that most of the common disease in the society, such as Malaria, Cholera, Typhoid Fever, Scabies and even Lassa fever are caused by poor environmental sanitation and hygiene practices.
She described the war against environmental degradation as a wake-up call and an opportunity for people in Kuje and FCT in general to reflect on their general attitude to personal hygiene for the purpose of working to make correction.
Also at the occasion were the minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Usman Jubril, representative of the Minister of Health, FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, as well as traditional rulers and others.
The ministers and other guests later moved to the Kuje main market where they launch the campaign for cleaner environment. [myad]
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