The Oyo State Environmental Task Force is stepping up its enforcement of environmental regulations, with about 4,000 alleged violators arrested during the period under review.
Chairman of the Task Force and Waste Enforcement Officer, DCP Ojomo Francis, discloses this in Ibadan on Wednesday while speaking during the trial of some environmental offenders.
According to Ojomo, some of those prosecuted are being sentenced to community service, while others are being ordered to pay fines for violating the state’s environmental regulations.
He further reveals that approximately N30 million has so far been paid into the coffers of the Oyo State Government by offenders during the period under review.
While urging residents to take environmental regulations seriously, Ojomo warns that the enforcement team is monitoring compliance across the state.
He calls on residents, particularly those living and doing business in Oyo State, to keep their surroundings clean and avoid practices that could undermine public health and environmental safety.
Ojomo also links proper sanitation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, stressing that maintaining a clean environment is a shared responsibility.
“This is not the first time we have requested that the public abide by our environmental rules in order to maintain social harmony and good health,” he says.
“Item 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations places premium on sanitation and sustainable environment. We do not need to attend any formal school to take care of our environment in our own interest.”
The Director of Civil Protection also reaffirms the commitment of the Oyo State Government to maintaining a clean, safe and healthy environment across the state.
Tribunal Convicts Five Environmental Offenders
In a related development, the Oyo State Environmental Protection Tribunal has convicted five persons for offences bordering on alleged violations of environmental laws.
Chairman of the Tribunal, Mr. Jubreel Kareem, tells journalists that the five offenders are apprehended during environmental monitoring operations in Ibadan.
According to Kareem, two of the offenders, Olanrewaju Deola and Funmilayo Ayoola, are found disposing of waste at unauthorised locations and failing to provide standard refuse drums, contrary to provisions of Oyo State environmental laws.
He says both defendants admit committing the offences before the Tribunal.
The Tribunal subsequently convicts them and imposes three-month jail terms, with options of fines of N5,000, N2,500 and N2,500 respectively, according to the details provided by the Tribunal chairman.
Another offender, Olabisi Olatunde, is arrested at Preboyes, along the UI-Bodija axis, for allegedly dumping refuse on the road median.
After pleading guilty to the offence, Olatunde is fined N7,500 by the Tribunal.
Similarly, John Blessing and Ali Sumaiya are prosecuted for allegedly displaying goods illegally by the roadside in the Mokola area of Ibadan.
Kareem says the practice contravenes Section 2, Sub-section 14 of the Oyo State Waste Management Law 2014.
The Tribunal subsequently fines the two offenders N2,500 each.
The Tribunal chairman warns residents and business operators against further violations of environmental regulations, stressing that the sanctions are intended to serve as a deterrent to the offenders and other members of the public.
With the Task Force and Environmental Protection Tribunal intensifying enforcement, residents are being reminded that indiscriminate waste disposal, roadside trading and other activities prohibited under state environmental regulations can attract prosecution and sanctions.
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