The Ogun State Government has introduced a new dimension to environmental enforcement, declaring that residents who violate sanitation laws will now face community service instead of paying fines.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya, announced the policy change on Thursday in Abeokuta, describing it as a strategy to enforce hygiene without adding to the financial pressure on citizens.
Addressing the Governor’s Elders Advisory Council, Oresanya stressed that the era of dumping refuse on the roadside is over.
He noted that while the state has empowered the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) to arrest offenders, the punishment will focus on behavioral change.
He stated that offenders would be made to sweep the streets and collect refuse, a measure intended to serve as a deterrent and a public lesson on the consequences of environmental negligence.
The enforcement drive is being backed by significant investment in infrastructure.
According to the Commissioner, Governor Dapo Abiodun has prioritized the sector by approving the purchase of new compactor trucks to support private waste collectors, ensuring that residents have no excuse for dumping trash on the highways.
He also noted that the government is revisiting old statutory provisions, reminding citizens that Local Government Health Officers are constitutionally empowered to inspect homes daily and prosecute households with overflowing bins.
The crackdown extends to other environmental hazards as well. The Ministry announced the ongoing closure of facilities contributing to noise pollution and issued a strict warning to gas plant operators running substandard facilities.
Responding to the presentation, members of the Elders Council, including Chief (Mrs.) Iyabo Apampa, urged the government to extend its “stricter sanctions” to industrial giants in the state, particularly regarding air pollution and indiscriminate parking by cement trucks in the Ibese and Papalanto axes.