The Abia State Government has warned that it may resort to forceful enforcement after residents recorded low compliance during the June edition of the Monthly Sanitation Exercise.
Officials said the poor turnout is reversing years of progress and leaving markets buried under refuse.
Speaking after the exercise on Saturday, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, represented by the Head of Population Control and Environmental Health, Mrs. Happiness Akpulonu, said “brute force” may now be unavoidable.
He blamed the decline on months without sanitation activities, which she said created piles of waste, especially at Orie Ugba Market and other major markets.
“We were overwhelmed today. My team could not clear all the refuse we were meant to clear,” he said.
“Residents in Umuahia especially respond better to enforcement than advice. We may have to stop advising and start enforcing compliance,” he added.
Mr Ogbonna also called on Local Government Mayors to mobilise their people on clean-up days and strengthen supervision.
He noted that routine sanitary inspections are the responsibility of LGs, while the Ministry only conducts spot checks and responds to complaints.
The Chairman, House Committee on Environment and member representing Ohafia South State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Kalu Mba-Nwoke, attributed the poor compliance to three months of inactivity.
He urged Abians to treat cleanliness as a daily responsibility, not just on declared sanitation days.
“Environmental sanitation must be continuous. Even without government directives, we should clean our surroundings because it is our duty,” he said.
Hon. Mba-Nwoke also called out Access Bank on Owerri Road for failing to clear the drainage in front of its premises.
He urged the state government to sanction the bank and directed the UCDA General Manager to desilt blocked drains across Umuahia.
“From Isi Gate to Shoprite, the gutters and drainages are completely blocked. The UCDA GM must take action,” he said.
Abia Govt Threatens Crackdown As Monthly Sanitation Compliance Drops
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