— Laments widespread heaps of decomposed domestic refuse, filthiness of the capital
By NGOZI Ezekiel
The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) over an impending epidemic in the State, asking the health bodies to hold the Gov. Hope Uzodimma-led State Government accountable.
The PDP, in its petition, lamented that the State Government’s refusal to evacuate domestic and market waste across the State for over seven (7) weeks is an inexcusable invitation to an outbreak of dangerous diseases and reflects gross insensitivity and lack of regard for the lives of Imo people.
Imo State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Lancelot Obiaku
disclosed this in a statement he issued and availed Daily Nigerian Horn.
The opposition party noted that this development signposts a total collapse of governance in the State, wherein the Governor and other state officials have abandoned their responsibility of serving the needs of the people in favour of political and social frivolities.
Imo PDP insisted that the State Government has no reason whatsoever not to perform such a basic task as waste evacuation, especially when it fully knows that failure to do so puts the lives of citizens at grave risk and renders the environment unsuitable for habitation and business activities.
“For us as a party, it is shocking that for over a month and counting, heaps of decomposed domestic refuse have littered virtually every corner of Owerri, including markets, and the government has not blinked an eye.
“Every market and street in Owerri is affected, from Eke Onuwa Market to Relief Market; Okigwe Road to Wetheral Road; Douglas Road to World Bank; MCC Road down to Amakohia and Akwakuma; to Orji and then Works Layout, et al. If Owerri has been abandoned for nearly two months now, imagine what is happening in the rural communities. Imo is filthy dirty and smelly.
“How can a government be so insensitive as to put the lives of its citizens at such a level of danger? Today, Imo people are living with refuse in addition to the prevailing economic hardship, and the government does not care. Rather, it prefers to busy itself with politics while the masses suffer.
“As a responsible party, we cannot fold our hands and watch Imo people be dehumanized and their lives endangered with such reckless abandon. We therefore alert the World Health Organization, the National Centre for Disease Control, and the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria to a looming outbreak of a lethal pandemic in Imo State if nothing is done immediately.
“Streets where people live, and markets where food and other essential items are sold —places visited daily by thousands —should not be breeding grounds for diseases.
“We insist that, in the unfortunate event of any outbreak, the Government of Imo State must be held accountable for willfully and deliberately inviting it. The lives of Imo people matter.”
