By Ayodele Abere
The Assistant Communication Associate of the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), Mr. Sunday Taiwo, has admonished Ekiti State Government to make provision for adequate waste bins across the towns and villages in the State to enable residents dispose their wastes at the shortest proximity.
The resource person gave the admonition why speaking with newsmen on Tuesday, at the end of a one-day stakeholders engagement on climate adaptation and environmental accountability held in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital.
He equally charged the residents to be more conscious of how they dispose their wastes in order to effectively address the impacts of climate change for safe living.
Also, the PLSI Programme Officer, Mr. Kolade Kolawole, who said he has been able to note that some of the challenges that the State is currently faced with in terms of environmental impacts is, indiscriminate waste disposal and flooding as he said that one of the factors that has been identified to address the issue as discussed in the course of the engagement is sensitisation of citizens to understand their own responsibilities in ensuring that the environment is kept clean and safe.
He added that the government should collaborate more with the Civil Society Organisations to be able to implement some of the projects for it to have a focused impact on the lives of the citizens saying that the CSOs have important roles to play in relaying the needs of the citizens to government and managing information properly for effective advocacies.
The Deputy Auditor-General (Operations), Office of the Ekiti State Auditor-General, Mr. Ifelola Oluwatayo Olugbenga, said the engagement is an opportunity to educate the CSOs more about what government is doing and to clear air on the various areas they are skeptical.
He pointed out that people have attested to the fact that government is actually doing its bit in maintaining the environment to the benefit of the citizens, appealing to the CSOs to work more with government as earlier suggested to see the way things are as he commended PLSI for putting the programme in place which he said should continue.
Another participant, the State Coordinator for Young African Leaders Initiative, Mopelola Akinwumi described the engagement as a great one having been able to network with other social actors.
She stated that the programme was more of a major concern for environment, the effect of climate change as a result of human factors such as improper disposal of wastes and ways to tackle them.
Akinwumi said, PLSI really did well by taking the participants through how to demand for accountability when it comes to various environmental projects that has to do with the state.
She therefore urged the general public to take good care of their health just as she appealed to the government to proffer a permanent solutions to permanent problems
Paradigm Leadership Support In (PLSI), is a non-profit organisation established in 2016 and with mission to advance accountability, foster good governance and enhance in marginalized and undeserved communities by promoting active citizens’ engagement with the public audit system and processes in Nigeria.