By Salisu Baso
In line with its effort to make Kano as clean as possible, the state government has reverted the payment of allowances of street sweepers from private waste management company with effect of this month.
This is contained in a statement from the Chief Public Relation Officer of the state Ministry of Environment, Malam Sunusi Abdullahi Kofar Naisa, a copy of which he made available to the Triumph in Kano. The statement said the government would continue to partner with Private Service Providers (PSPs) to rescue the state from the grip of waste.
It said the state Commissioner of Environment, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Getso stated this during a meeting with the State Indigenous Waste Management Association (KIWMA) at Kano-NEWMAP conference hall recently.
The commissioner lamented the untidy nature of the streets in the metropolis, attributing it to the circumstances which is seriously taken into cognizance and promised to address the matter henceforth.
He then charged the street sweepers to be alive to their responsibilities by ensuring that the streets remain clean and tidy.
He assured that the government would continue to pay the allowances of the sweepers unfailingly. Dr. Getso further said the government, under the leadership of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was determined to sanitise the state.
He cited the just concluded ‘Keep Kano Clean Week exercise,’ where a massive waste evacuation programme took place with over 4,000 tonnes of waste from over 50 locations evacuated.
He added that the plan has reached advance stage by the present administration through the ministry to launch new programme tagged: ‘Keep Kano Clean Initiative,’ a project to tackle the rapid pile up of refuse in the metropolis, as some of the emergency measures put in place by the government to curtail the situation.
Responding, the Chairman of KIWMA, Dr. Bala Muhammad Tukur commended the government for taking the right decision to revert the payment of allowances of the sweepers, assuring that it would energise the personnel.
He said no doubt, it would increase their productivity. Dr. Tukur then pledged to continue to cooperate with government in order to return the state to its former status of cleanliness
