Ekiti State government says it will take advantage of the vast potentials inherent in recycling waste products in the state to boost its economy.
The Director General of the Ekiti State Waste Management Authority, Olasunkanmi Onipede made the disclosure on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti during the interactive S’etigbo multicast anchored by the Bureau of Community Communications.
Onipede stated that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji is committed towards ensuring a clean and healthier environment for investors to thrive in the waste-to-wealth initiative.
According to him, Governor Oyebanji has significantly advanced the development of the state through his dedication to environmental cleanliness and workers’ welfare, particularly the recent salary increment of street sweepers.
His words: “The target of the state is not farfetched. We want to ensure that we achieve a neat and clean Ekiti State, where we will have some investors that will come and participate in our waste-to-wealth energy program.
“The first thing for us is to get our connection right and we will now move back to our dump sites where we can start turning some of our waste into wealth. Basically moving into recycling some of our plastics, turning some of our waste into fertilizers from our compost plants and a whole other things.
“We have been able to expand in our operations. The governor has supported us with more collection trucks. We have about seven new trucks to join the old fleets. The governor has also increased the salaries of our operatives starting from the sweepers, supervisors, operatives and the drivers.
“He has graciously taken the salaries of our sweepers from N12,000 to N35,000 per month, our drivers from N20,000 to N50,000, our operatives from N20,000 to N50,000 and supervisors from N15,000 to N40,000. Having done these, the sweepers and operatives said they are going to double up their efforts to ensure that Ekiti is clean.”
Earlier, Director General, Bureau of Communications, Mary Omotosho praised Governor Oyebanji’s administration, highlighting Ekiti State’s impressive developmental strides.
She emphasized that an agency conducted an independent survey recently which ranked Ekiti among Nigeria’s top ten performing states, surpassing Lagos State in its e-governance systems and strong accountability.
Omotosho noted that Governor Oyebanji despite being in his first term, has embarked on extensive road construction projects across the state, making him the most impactful governor in this regard since Ekiti’s creation.
The DG explained that the governor’s collaborative approach, including engagement with various organizations, has led to key achievements such as World Bank’s approval of a modern abattoir adding that the state has began subsidizing farm inputs to support local farmers.
