The new General Manager of Niger state Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA), Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, has said the agency is key to the success of the urban renewal policy of Governor Umar Mohammed Bago.
The General Manager made this disclosure while interacting with staff of the agency on his assumption in office on Tuesday.
He revealed that Bago has special interest in the organisation because of its importance to the actualisation of the state urban renewal policy.
Dr. Abubakar observed that the urban renewal policy would only be possible when there is a clean and serene environment, and that NISEPA is the agency to provide such clean and serene environment.
“The urban renewal project of His Excellency is hinged on alot of fulcrums and one of that cardinal fulcrums is the environment. There is no way you can succeed and have a sustainable urban renewal without a clean and sustainable environment, and this is where NISEPA will come into play,” said the new NISEPA Boss.
He explained that waste management process is not the responsibility of NISEPA only, saying it is a process where every stakeholder must be involved to take responsibility of the waste he generated.
Dr. Abubakar also disclosed that the Governor had given him a matching order to change the face of the agency and make it to be a revenue generating agency that can stand on its own within the next six months.
He added that he had come to add value and move the agency forward, not to witch-hunt anyone, but that anyone who stands on his way towards achieving his goal would be move aside, saying “it is not going to be business as usual.”
The new NISEPA General Manager who said he had seen an already established organization where he can build upon the gains of the past, also solicited for the support and cooperation of all staff of the agency towards actualization of the mandate given to him, as according to him there is no way he can succeed without their support.
While welcoming the new NISEPA General Manager earlier, the overseeing General Manager, Hajiya Halimat Yakubu Ndanusa said they were happy to receive the new General Manager whom she said with his experience in waste management NISEPA will move to greater height.
She enumerated some of the challenges they were facing to include funding and lack of the right equipment as the ones they are using are not 21 century waste management standard equipment, believing that the coming of the new General Manager will facilitate provision of the right equipment.
Hajiya Halimat Ndanusa also assured the new General Manager that the staff of the agency are dedicated to their duties and they will give him their maximum cooperation to move the agency forward.
