As the Rivers State Government is gearing up to celebrate World Environment Day, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), in the State says such celebration would be hypocritical considering the dirtiness of Port Harcourt and its environs.
ACN in a press statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam to mark the World Environment Day notes that every street in Port Harcourt is dirty and has one dump site or the other that oozes offensive ordour and wondered why Amaechi administration would want to celebrate such a scenario.
According to ACN, the deplorable environment condition of Port Harcourt is worsened by the debris arising from the government demolition exercise which it had been unable to clear.
The demolition sites with their uncleared debris, the party further says, constitute an eye-sore that does not befit a garden city status of Port Harcourt.
It is therefore worrisome to the ACN that why Rivers State has remained dirty, Rivers State Government continues to claim it releases half a billion naira monthly to Refuse Disposal Contractors who have not delivered on their promise to keep the environment clean and safe for the inhabitants.
With half a billion naira monthly payment to Refuse Disposal Contractors, ACN believes the sanitation contractors could do a lot to change the face of Port Harcourt environment wise by at least clearing the refuse that litter the streets.
For failing to deliver, ACN wants the Rivers State government to publicly release the names of these refuse contractors, in order to clear the insinuations that they are all political allies of the governor of Rivers State, and he lacks the political will to call them to order.
To the ACN therefore, as far as Port Harcourt and its environs remain dirty and the refuse contractors unable to effectively utilize huge monthly payments meant to keep the environment clean, Governor Amaechi is paying lip-service to the issues of environment.
It is against this background that ACN, through its Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam wishes to advise the Rivers State government to come out with plans on how to restore the lost glory of Port Harcourt by making its environment clean and safe for its inhabitants and desist forthwith, from politicizing an important issue like clean and safe environment.
