By Ayodele Abere
As Ekiti Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources team, led by the Hon. Commissioner of the Ministry, Chief. Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, concludes the Study Tour to Lagos State Ministry of Environment, the Commissioner, Mrs. Tosin Aluko -Ajisafe and the team held an extensive meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Dr Omobolaji Gaji, who just arrived from Accra, Ghana on an International Regulatory Summit.
Welcoming Chief Mrs Tosin Aluko Ajisafe, his Ekiti State counterpart, Mr Babatunde Alokan as well as other members of the delegation, the Permanent Secretary commended them for toeing the line of the Centre of Excellence in order to ensure a cleaner, hygienic and conducive environment in Ekiti State.
Dr Gaji noted the role of community participation in environmental management with the emphasis that people should be carried along with the process and policy decisions of government, with the sole aim of getting a sustainable hygienic environment.
The P. S. further emphasised the role of regular advocacies through various social media and other formal means as key tools of addressing environmental challenges.
On market Sanitation, Dr. Omobolaji Gaji, explained that Lagos State observed market sanitation every Thursday of the week, and that the environmental sanitation task force was also established within the market.
According to him, the environmental sanitation task force would help the Ministry to police the market areas and give the Ministry the situation report that would provide immediate solutions. Dr Gaji further emphasised the need to be focused, bold, strict and non-partisan in discharging the onerous tasks of making environment clean.