No fewer than 150 people were on saturday
convicted for sanitation offences by Mobile Courts in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The defaulters were arrested and prosecuted for driving, roaming & loitering about among other offences, during the monthly environmental which contravene the Sanitation Law of the state.
They were convicted and sentenced to fines by Mobile Courts situated at strategic locations in Ilorin, the state capital.
Speaking with reporters shortly after the exercise, the State Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Otunba Taiwo Joseph maintained that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed-led administration is totally committed to environmental cleanliness across the state, adding that with a clean & conducive environment, the visitation to clinics & hospitals would be reduced drastically.
Joseph, who led officials of the Ministry, pressmen & some security operatives, explained that the convicted and sentenced offenders would serve as deterrence to other would defaulters.
The Commissioner warned that various markets in the state must be kept tidy by traders and associations, saying the government would not hesitate to closedown any market that fails to abide by the environmental policies of the government.
He said: "The government of Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has vowed to always ensure environmental cleanliness. We have always said it that if your environment is clean you will not have any cause to visit hospitals.
"We must keep our environment clean. It is a law and we must abide by it. There is no excuse for non-compliance with the sanitation law."
Also speaking, the State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Kazeem Adekanye who commended the government for "uninterrupted monthly" exercise, observed that there is need for more mobile courts in some areas of the Ilorin metropolis.
Meanwhile the people of Amule have enjoined the state government to provide them more Roro bins, in other to enable them dump refuse inside instead of the usual dumping of refuse inside the Amule river, which is a major health hazard to the community.
Speaking on behalf of the community during the commissioner's assessment of the river, Alh. Yusuf Obalowu he said " We appreciate the commissioner, for personally coming to see things for himself, people come to dump refuse here even from other communities, we implore the ministry to make provision of Roro bins and also help barricade the river bank.
Otunba Taiwo Joseph however promised to ensure Roro bins are provided for the community, he also promised to make sure Vigilante officials are permanently stationed at the river bank to arrest defaulters on the spot.