Edo PDP, Obaseki War Over 85% Of ‘Abandoned’ Benin Wastes

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Edo State has accused the Governor Godwin Obaseki led administration of turning Benin into an environmental hazard with 85% of waste uncollected but desperate for the 5% of the income generated by waste collectors.

The party in its update on the projects of the Obaseki administration also flayed administration officials of importing ill-equipped cronies from Lagos at the expense of better qualified waste disposers from the state.

The assertions of the PDP were immediately dismissed by the government who accused the PDP of churning out lies to buttress its bid to discredit the administration.

The government affirmed that it was doing everything to clean up Benin-City and vowed not to be deterred by the criticisms of the PDP in its aims.

Noting that dirt and flies are what welcome anyone to Benin-City, the PDP in the statement issued by its spokesman, Chris Nehikhare said:

“Upmarket areas rarely see garbage trucks. Compounds, in and outside, are littered with rubbish and residents are desperate for their bickering political leaders to bring about change.

“It is a daily battle for pedestrians and cars to navigate the piles of plastic bottles, discarded food containers, cartons, etc. It is a really pathetic state of affairs. 

“The amount of solid waste generated in Benin city is unknown. What is however clear is that more than 85% of generated waste is left uncollected. But EDSG collects 5% of turnover of all licensed waste managers as the are called! 

“It is clear that the only policy this government has on waste management is the 5% of revenue collected from its licensed waste disposal mangers.

“Even though many local waste disposal managers have invested heavily in this sector, EDSG led by Gov Godwin Obaseki, has failed woefully in meeting their own social responsibility expectations. I use the word local, because EDSG had the temerity to bring in their cronies from Lagos to come and have a bite of the cherry! “Lucrative” zones were yanked away from the people that primed the area. No matter the efficiency and competence of our home grown waste mangers, Lagos state government will not sacrifice one of its own for them! 

“There are two government managed dumpsites in the state capital Benin City. We have one in Oluku and the other in Ikhuniro by the by-pass.  These dump sites are overflowing with waste and are unaccessible. Waste managers now dump at Okhuaire, a private dumpsite provided by the community for a fee of up to N5000.00 per dump! Be informed that the 5% collected from waste manager is supposed to be used for the management of the government dumpsites.”

Responding on behalf of the government, Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie,

said the comments by the spokesperson of the Edo State chapter of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chris Nehikhare, on the environmental status of Benin City, was false and a feeble attempt to discredit the state government’s efforts in the management of waste.

According to him, Nehikhare, as usual, churned out falsehood in a feeble attempt to discredit the state government’s efforts in the management of waste.

“The picture Nehikhare painted clearly exists only in his mind as the Edo State that we all live in, and which we all know, is serene, largely clean, with committed efforts being made to deliver enduring infrastructure across all the senatorial districts to achieve our urban renewal goal.”

He said the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration is working assiduously to ensure Benin City and other towns in the state are clean through multi-level engagements by the Project Clean Up Edo, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, the Edo State Waste Management Board that interface with international organisations, civil society, federal government agencies and other stakeholders in the environment sector.

“Nehikhare’s assessment of a spot in Benin City that is awaiting evacuation by officials of the Waste Management Board, is not enough basis to conclude that the whole Edo State is oozing of garbage.

The statistics he reeled out are laughable and unacademic and cannot be substantiated.”

He advised Nehikhare to be more broad-minded next time he is doing a scientific evaluation of refuse collection in the state, noting “We make bold to say that as a system being managed by human beings, there is every likelihood that there could be a drag in the value chain sometimes. But these few lapses are not equivalent to the false picture painted by Nehikhare.”

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