Giving Kano city a face-lift towards conforming to a mega city status is a priority to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. BASHIR MOHAMMED captures the fresh zeal of the government
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state is one who on coming on board as the executive governor made his stand on making Kano a mega city by effecting a clear roadmap on beautification and environmental sanitation by way of making refuse dumps no longer seen as an eye sore.
Kano as it is known is a cosmopolitan city that needs the attention of a serious governor that can effectively handle the task of clearing huge refuse dumps, taking into cognizance the fact that the issue of environmental sanitation could only be feasible with the entrenchment of a robust policy on solid management.
Ganduje has undoubtedly came with a mission to prove his prowess in that regard by injecting some degree of hope into the resolve of the state Refuse Management and Environmental Agency popularly known as REMASSAB, by reorganizing the refuse disposal and management outfit.
Ganduje’s consistent effort in making disturbing refuse sites to disappear had on certain occasion appeared to be affected by persistent wrangling within the political camps in the state supposedly on the prodding those who allegedly inspired refuse depositors to dump the garbage on strategic roads without paying credence to safety net and laid down environmental laws.
As a politician who knows his political onion very well, Ganduje was never in anyway ruffled by the inner subterfuge of those who were frantically working to sabotage his burning ambition to make Kano a revered mega city by directing the refuse disposal and management Agency to clear the refuse dumped on the roads for people to have confidence in his ability to deliver.
REMASSAB was undoubtedly emboldened to forge ahead with the provision of sophisticated working gadgets worth millions of Naira purchased from abroad , looking at the expedient nature of the exercise which apologists of urban beautification and environmental sanitation in Kano metropolis viewed as the most basic rudiment of the entire business.
However the prompt and timely intervention of the British Department of International Development(DFID) as regard the effort it had put in place in organizing 2-Day stakeholders roundtable session in conjunction with the Kano state Ministry of environment had opened the floodgate for taking stock of the factors militating against effective and sustainable solid waste management.
According to DFID, , the partnership to engage, reform and learn(PERL) is a flagship five year public sector accountability and governance programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development.
PERL takes an integrated approach to all aspects of governance reforms related to service delivery, backed by a strong evidence based and drawn from a practical experience
The DFID’s initiative in organizing the 2-Day stakeholders roundtable, was strongly applauded by even the most die hard cynics of the Ganduje administration who bared their opinions on how to transform Kano into a mega city with the issue of refuse disposal adequately tackled.
But the intention and commitment of governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on environmental sanitation, was made explicit, through the Secretary to the state government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, the time he stood on the rostrum to officially declare the 2-Day stakeholders round session open, which caught the enthusiastic attention of the participants around.
The Secretary to the state government told the audience that the Ganduje administration is stoutly committed to the course of sustaining the environmental sanitation feats using resources at its disposal by keeping Kano tidy and clean.
According to him the cosmopolitan nature of Kano and its blossoming population had inspired the governor to take the bull by the horns in according the environmental sector the priority its deserved in addition to empowering REMASSAB as the Agency saddled with the task of refuse disposal and solid waste management to wax stronger.
He commended the DFID for organizing the event in collaboration with the state Ministry of Environment which he stressed had also come at a time when the Ganduje administration is seeking to fulfill its election campaign promises to the satisfaction of citizens of Kano state.
In his contribution, a prominent traditional ruler in the state, Alhaji Wada Waziri also spoke on the importance of refuse disposal and solid waste management in a populous state like Kano in the face of governor Ganduje’s effort to make Kano a mega city for one to admire.
According to him, the issue of environmental sanitation and solid waste management entailed the robust commitment of a dogged fighter who can in the face of grueling odds face the problem of excessive and rampant refuse disposal squarely.
But it was however the contention of the participants that l inadequate political will in facing the problem of environmental sanitation in Kano had been a major set- back that had crippled past initiatives pointing out that policy inconsistencies were also a major snag.
It was also the unanimous opinion of some of the participants that existing environmental laws should be reviewed for strict compliance to be enforced stressing that poor policy on solid waste management had abysmally taken a negative toll on the quest for maintaining a healthy and cleaner environment.
Pundits are of the opinion that the 2-Day stakeholders’ round table session had opened the eyes of the participants that without private partnership and political will, issues affecting the well-being of the citizens of the country would not be given a face-lift.
Kano as it is known is a cosmopolitan city that needs the attention of a serious governor that can effectively handle the task of clearing huge refuse dumps