E DON HAPPEN

Waste Management Agency Terminates Contract of 30 Resource Persons over Non Performance

...reveal plans for immediate desilting of Atiku, Abak road axis

By Aluu Vincent

The Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency, AKSEPWMA, has terminated the waste collection and evacuation contract of 30 Resource Persons, over non Performance, lackadaisical attitude and dereliction of duty.

The Chairman of the AKSEPWMA Board, Prince Akpan Ikim, made this disclosure during an impromptu visit to some of the evacuation sites, on Wednesday July 27, 2023, within Uyo Metropolis.

Prince Ikim expressed dissatisfaction over the heaps of refuse dotting the Metropolis even when the resource persons have been paid to evacuate them.

"It is unacceptable that we have heaps of refuse when every resource person has been fully paid. Payment for waste evacuation is done on first line charge. There is no reason for non Performance, lackadaisical attitude and dereliction of duty. If your vehicle is bad, why not replace them with another instead of portraying government as being inefficient. If you were the governor, how will you feel.about this? I won't let that happen. We will have to take a drastic decision on this" Ikim expressed

Fielding questions from one our reporters, Ikim said, "The resource persons are fond of abandoning their duty posts. They were not expecting to see me today thinking I was attending the Akwa Ibom Dialogue. I do not need to be around for them to do the job they were paid to do. I will not politics with waste management. I am not contesting for anything. If it is because of waste management that you will not vote for me assuming I am contesting, then keep your vote but do the job. Make sure you evacuate wastes daily. If you fail to do so after you have been paid, your contract will be terminated and the funds retreived"

While appreciating other resource persons for doing their job, he warned them to sit up and ensure that they evacuate wastes daily. He revealed plans of the Agency to appoint more hands to boost waste collection and evacuation adding that Akwa Ibom must remain the cleanest state in Nigeria.

On the Waste to wealth initiative, Ikim said in August, an independent committee will be set up to assess the bid documents of interested firms so that only competent hands will be approved to handle the task. He said the Arise Agenda of Governor Umo Eno is poised on ensuring that Akwa Ibom State takes full advantage of the benefits derived from waste to wealth initiative.

Ikim urged residents to ensure that they dispose their wastes only at approved locations and appropriate time to avoid running foul of the law. He also announced plans to commence immediate desilting of gutters along Atiku Abubakar and Abak road axis to free the water channels and allow for free flow of water.

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