The Nasarawa State Government has stepped up its Nasarawa environmental sanitation campaign by intensifying monitoring activities and drainage maintenance as part of efforts to reduce flooding during the peak of the rainy season. The government also announced the arrest of 126 sanitation offenders during the July monthly environmental sanitation exercise for violating the state’s environmental laws.
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Dr. Margaret Elayo, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the exercise in Lafia on Saturday. She was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ede Yakubu.
Elayo described the sanitation exercise as highly successful, attributing the outcome to increased public participation and a revised enforcement strategy adopted by the ministry. According to her, officials established surprise roadblocks at strategic locations across the state, enabling enforcement teams to apprehend more violators than in previous exercises.
She explained that one of the newly introduced checkpoints was located near the College of Agriculture, an area that had not previously been used for sanitation enforcement. The commissioner noted that personally leading the monitoring team helped improve compliance, particularly by checking those entering and leaving the town during the sanitation period.
To address flooding during the rainy season, Elayo said the Nasarawa State Waste Management Agency and the Nasarawa State Environmental Protection Agency would begin daily environmental surveillance across the state. She explained that the agencies would focus on clearing blocked drainages, evacuating waste and educating residents on the dangers of indiscriminate refuse disposal.
According to the commissioner, ensuring the free flow of water through properly maintained drainage channels remains one of the most effective ways to minimise flooding. She added that the government is shifting from relying solely on monthly sanitation exercises to continuous daily monitoring aimed at maintaining a cleaner and safer environment.
Also speaking, the state’s Chief Prosecuting Officer, Abubakar Mohammed, confirmed that 126 people were arrested during the sanitation exercise. He disclosed that commercial tricycle operators accounted for the largest number of offenders apprehended across the state.
Despite the arrests, Mohammed said overall compliance was encouraging, noting that most business premises remained closed in line with sanitation regulations, while only individuals found moving during the restricted sanitation hours were taken into custody.
Mohammed also revealed that authorities had intensified enforcement of drainage desilting in accordance with Section 13 of the Nasarawa State environmental law, which mandates property owners to keep drainage channels in front of their premises clear.
According to him, 16 residents were arrested in the previous week alone for failing to comply with the drainage clearance directive. He noted that increased enforcement has encouraged more residents to clear refuse from drainage channels, improving water flow and reducing the risk of flooding.
Mohammed added that while the monthly environmental sanitation exercise would continue, the state government would sustain daily waste evacuation and public awareness campaigns throughout the rainy season to strengthen environmental cleanliness and flood prevention efforts.
