Civil Society Organisations in Calabar under the MOCSSA project implemented by Green Concern for Development (GREENCODE) in partnership with Nigeria Situation Room with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), has called on the government of Cross River State to step up it’s game on the quality of waste management services it’s delivering to citizens of the state.
Acknowledging the strides made by the present government in improving waste collection and disposal, the group through it’s policy brief released under the MoCCSA (Mobilising CSOs and Citizens for Social Accountability) project said it’s major borders on the effectiveness of current measures in waste management.
It therefore called on the State government to increase investment in waste collection infrastructure, including the provision of more trucks and the enforcement of proper waste disposal protocols. Timely evacuation of waste from streets to designated dumpsites was also highlighted as crucial for maintaining a clean and healthy environment.
Recommendations put forward by stakeholders emphasize the need for enhanced sensitization of the public and sanitation workers. Strategies include leveraging various media outlets, conducting in-school sensitization programs, and organizing training workshops to promote responsible waste management practices.
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“As the urban population continues to surge in Cross River State, waste disposal and management have emerged as pressing concerns for both the government and residents. Despite various policies and efforts aimed at tackling the issue, solid waste continues to overrun streets, particularly during the rainy season, exacerbating flooding in Calabar Metropolis and other cities across the state,” the document reads in parts.
To address issues of indiscriminate waste disposal, stakeholders advocate for the strategic placement of mini-sized dustbins along streets and the re-establishment of mobile sanitation courts with enforcement teams. Additionally, landlords, tenants, and business owners are urged to take responsibility for evacuating trash from gutters in front of their buildings regularly, with stiff penalties imposed for non-compliance.
The policy brief, produced by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the MoCCSA Project, underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between the government, citizens, and stakeholders to tackle waste management challenges effectively. It calls for urgent action to implement the recommended strategies and ensure a cleaner, healthier environment for all residents of Cross River State.
Presenting the Policy Brief at the closeout meeting of the projects where four other policy briefs on different sectors of the society were also presented, Comrade Edem Edem, National Coordinator of Green Concern for Development GREENCODE, informed that the project aimed at empowering civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens to actively and objectively engage in governance and hold the government accountable. Through advocacy visits and capacity-building initiatives, adding that the project focused on promoting social accountability by equipping CSOs with advocacy skills and tools to facilitate citizen participation in policy discussions and ensure government responsiveness to the needs of grassroots communities.
Edem noted that the project was closing with the launch of the 2023 4th quarter budget performance report, a Citizen’s Budget (a simplified version of the 2024 budget, and five policy briefs Water and Sanitation, Waste Management and Environment, Peace Building and Conflict Management, Fiscal Accountability and Open Government, Forest Degradation and Illegal Mining. Adding that these documents Which will be distributed to relevant stakeholders and the public in general is to both trigger the citizens to hold government accountable and trigger actions from government to solve citizens problems.
These documents according to Edem, can be downloaded from the organisation’s website at www.greencodeng.org