Pam Moses
Various organisations and groups in Plateau State have at the weekend in Jos launched campaigns known as Plateau Waste Free Environment.
According to them, Plateau State is the Home of Peace and Tourism saying a waste-free Plateau is Possible and as such Jos City should regain its tourism status and maintain as one of the cleanest states in the country.
Amongst the Organisations which sponsored the Plateau waste-free campaigns are Tearfund Nigeria and supported by Renew Our World Nigeria, TASTE Nigeria, ACET Nigeria and Ignite House.
Others are Jos Green Center, NYSC, JayFm, TCNN and Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency PEPSA.
The campaign launch started with a general cleaning of various roads from Old Airport Roundabout to the popular Terminus Market Jos.
The event was attended and witnessed by mostly members of Tearfund, TASTE Nigeria and Youths from the State who have shown commitment and zeal towards ensuring a Waste-free Plateau State.
Director General of the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency-PEPSA Mr. Samuel Nathaniel Dapiya speaking during the Campaign awareness Waste Free Plateau said there is a need to increase the level of awareness for people to know that a clean Plateau environment is Possible and call on all Plateau citizens to take the campaign seriously.
"This exercise is one to create an awareness that a clean plateau is possible, it's an awareness project organized by TEARFUND and Renew our World Nigeria, TASTE and in partnership with other agencies and PEPSA is one of the co-sponsors of the awareness program.
He added that all citizens of the state should actively participate in the awareness of a waste-free Plateau, saying every citizen is a stakeholder in ensuring a clean Plateau State.
Also Speaking Mr Promise Salau from Tearfund noted the essence of the event was to create an awareness about the waste problem in the State.
"Plateau is known as the home of peace and tourism. and waste is not part of tourism as far as we are concerned as we are very passionate about it. And so therefore we are doing an awareness about waste-free plateau.
"The essence of this is to create awareness about the waste problem on the plateau and to tell the public that we are responsible for the waste we generate and that we should take more deliberate efforts and steps to manage waste properly.
He stressed that to achieve this, there will be a need to conduct continuous sensitization
programs to change their mindset of people more especially transforming from bad practices to better ones.
On his part, Mr David Balka from TASTE Nigeria emphasized that all polythene bags and plastic bottles in the streets should be collected in an orderly manner and disposed
"This is a campaign to say that a waste-free plateau is very possible if all people will come out in their number and then manage their waste at the household level and even on the street so that the waste is not being disposed of and discriminated.
He appealed to the public to take responsibility for the better management of waste, said if the citizens can contain their waste and di dispose of it appropriately then Jos City will be clean.
During the awareness exercise, some of the shop owners on the roads and Business owners also voluntarily joined the Waste-free Plateau campaign.
