Abia Committed to Clean Environment – ASEPA DGM

Abia State government has once again reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a cleaner Abia.

The Deputy General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA Catechist Ambrose Jonah reiterated this during an interview on Spin 95.3 FM Umuahia political programme , Hard Talk, on Monday, June 9, 2025.

According to him, the government is determined to make sure Abia doesn’t go back to those days when the state was rated as one of the dirtiest states in Nigeria.

The ASEPA DGM, said the progress recorded so far in environmental sanitation was as a result of the support of the state governor, Dr Alex Otti who made sure the agency didn’t lack anything needed in the delivery of its duties.

Catechist Jonah, who featured in the interview alongside the Head of Operations in the agency, Chidiebere Ogbuehi, said the government is putting in place modalities for the take off of stricter monitoring of those who litter the environment.

He once again warned against littering Abia as according to him, defaulters would be arrested and penalized.

He said his agency is not interested in the penalty of twenty thousand naira (N20,000), but is intentional in ensuring that people have the culture of keeping the environment clean.

Lending his voice, the Head of Operations of ASEPA, Chidiebere Ogbuehi said the agency is mass producing buckets through Dr Ogbonnaya Ọnụ Polytechnic Aba, that would be placed at strategic points for people to dispose light refuse, adding that people should not dispose heavy waste into the proposed litter baskets.

Ogbuehi regretted the activities of scavengers, who always destroy and cart them away as they are metals describing it as a challenge, facing the agency.

He encouraged Abians to take responsibility and own the project as their own and desist from vandalization of public property.

On the issue of cattle herders, Catechist Ambrose expressed deep concern on the activities of the herders who roam about and deface the city, unchecked.

According to him, the agency in planning to have an expanded meeting with town union leaders to fine tune means of curtailing the activities of the herders. He said he was informed that most of the cattle are owned by notable men from Abia, hence he would find means to reach out to them.

Catechist Ambrose said it was not always easy to communicate with the herders as they don’t understand or speak English Language, therefore it became expedient to reach out to their owners, while hinting on the application of ranching system as part of the solution methods in the pipeline.