Enugu Govt. declares war on refuse heaps

Enugu State Government is to set up   a task force  to assist the Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA) get rid of refuse heaps  that are beginning to grow on dump locations in Enugu metropolis.

The situation has become a source of worry for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi  who expressed disappointment with the management of the agency during the State Executive Council meeting and promised to effect radical changes should the agency continue to fail in its  duties to keep the city clean as it should be.

Addressing newsmen on the fallout of the  Executive Council Meeting ,  the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe, said that the governor reiterated the resolve of the government to  continue to keep Enugu clean and asked ESWAMA management to live up to the task or risk being disbanded.

According to the Commissioner, the EXCO also voted to resurface the entrance to the Ogbete Main Market which is beginning to degenerate.

The commissioner quoted the governor as saying that  “This is a beautiful town and all those entrusted with responsibility to keep it so must do their jobs,”.

Mr. Anikwe also disclosed that the Council has voted to incorporate and implement a gender policy in all public establishments and offices in the state, with technical support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

He further explained that Enugu and Kaduna States were selected by DFID for the replication of the approach which the Federal Government implemented in 2013 as the Girls & Women in Nigeria Initiative (GWIN), adding that the project aims to improve the lives of the disadvantaged by integrating their needs into official budgetary processes and specifically targets the needs of girls and women in the state.

“For Enugu State, the replication has been named ENGAGE, the Enabling Growth and Access for Girls and Women (ENGAGE) Project,” State Commissioner for Gender Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Princess Peace Nnaji, had  explained in a memo to the State Executive Council.

Princess Nnaji also explained that every ministry and agency of government will henceforth have a Gender Desk that will analyze activities and projects in terms of how they reflect gender sensitivity in their composition or distribution.

“The ministries and agencies are not expected to look for new projects to implement but will be looking at existing projects in the budget and redesign and refocus them to ensure they deliver more for poor girls, women, men, and boys,” Hon. Nnaji was also quoted as saying.