By Ken Afor
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has directed the newly inaugurated State Taskforce on environment to commence work immediately and clean up the state.
The governor gave the directive during the inauguration of the State Environmental Marshals and Supervisors, headed by Chief Godspower Asiuwhu, a former Commissioner for Environment.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu, the governor urged the personnel to prioritize their duties or face potential replacement.
According to reports, out of the 18,750 applicants, 315 were selected from the shortlisted 652 individuals and drafted into Environmental Marshals and Supervisors positions.
During the inauguration, Dr. Emu, urged the personnel to uphold cleanliness standards and promote environmental sustainability across the oil-rich state.
According to him, “The responsibility that you have is a big one. There is a need for you to hit the ground running because the entire state is dirty.
“I know, I have been through your ethics and I have seen all the good things written there, but all what you do outside is the opposite. Instead of enforcing a clean environment, you are manipulating a clean environment; that’s what has always happened.
“You must have integrity, and be objective; you must be trusted and must not give wrong directive. There shouldn’t be any vendetta. You don’t go to your neighbour’s compound to deal with them when your own compound is completely dirty.
“Your job is not only to place houses on caution or sanctions but to even prevent dirt piling up. So, Mr. Chairman, the bigger responsibility you have is sensitisation. It is better to prevent a thief from stealing than catching the thief.
“If I go through your budget and I have the privilege to look at it, the greatest emphasis I will have will be on sensitisation before we start managing people.
“I want to also believe that you will involve the communities because they have lost it in terms of cleanliness. When we were growing up, if you refused to clean your environment, the community will kill a small fowl there and you will be made to pay; it doesn’t happen any more.
“I think that if everybody cleans the drains in front of his house and packs the dirt, you will not find dirt in our environment or neighbourhood.
“Any dirt you find in front of any compound, they should be held liable, irrespective of who dumped them. You see people with decent vehicles dropping dirt on the way, that’s a very serious offence.
“You should also create awards for performance on cleanliness since you have already grouped the marshals into zones. Let the zones with the best performance be rewarded.
“I hope you take your jobs seriously because there are more interested persons who can replace you if you do not do your jobs properly.”
During the event, the Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, emphasized that sustainable cleanliness is a collective responsibility and urged the Marshals to diligently work towards maintaining the state’s environmental sustainability.
On his part, the Chairman of the State Taskforce, Chief Asiuwhu, highlighted the purpose of the workshop, which is aimed to equip the newly recruited Environmental Marshals and Supervisors with essential knowledge for their fieldwork, in alignment with the MORE Agenda.
Asiuwhu disclosed that the recruitment process attracted 18,750 applications for Environmental Marshals and Supervisors positions, resulting in 652 shortlisted candidates for further evaluation, with 315 ultimately selected after the screening process.
He noted that the Taskforce had enhanced its operational effectiveness by establishing Ethiope, Sapele, Ughelli, and Kwale zones.
“As Environmental Marshals and Supervisors, the aesthetic beauty of our environment must be your priority. You are expected to uphold a high level of integrity and diligence in carrying out your assignments in the field.
“Always maintain decorum in all you do and abstain from acts capable of bringing shame/ ridicule to the state government. To this end, violent activities are highly discouraged.
“Similarly, you should always be transparent with government revenues, never tamper with fines/revenues collected on behalf of the state government.
“As government recruited Environmental Marshals and Supervisors, be fully informed that any violation of the rules and regulations, as administered by the state government through this office, would not be condoned,” he said.
The Taskforce Chairman emphasized that behaviors such as truancy, absenteeism, insubordination, and tardiness would not be tolerated. He made it clear that any misconduct would result in appropriate sanctions.
