Ogun to partner religious camps on waste management

As part of its continued efforts at institutionalising best waste management practices and to forestall outbreaks of diseases, especially cholera, the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, has stated that it would collaborate with all religious camps to check against cholera and other diseases in the state.

The Special Adviser to the governor of Ogun State, Waste Management Authority OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye, stated this in a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday, when he led the management team of the Authority on a visit to the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG Camp along the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway to inspect the waste management facilities of the camp.

Hunye said since the camp and many others across the state host thousands of people who are either residents or visitors, there is a need for OGWAMA to collaborate with them to get their waste management practice right as any lapse could lead to serious outbreak especially water-borne diseases such as cholera which would spread quickly to residents of the state who daily, weekly and monthly visit the camp for supplications, businesses or corporate transactions.”Part of the collaboration will be to expose their environmental health management teams to the bestwaste management practices which will safeguard the immediate and general environment as well as public health.

“Our experts will be visiting them periodically to organise training, and workshops and inspect their dumpsite and other facilities especially that of medical waste with the sole aim of instituting global best standards in their operations so that their camps will not only be clean, but safe and healthy for human visitation and habitation, “Hunye added.

He therefore called on various campgrounds across the state to cooperate with the OGWAMA officials who will be visiting them to inspect their waste management facilities so that they will get it right going forward and save the state from any outbreak of diseases emanating from improper waste management.

Responding, the National Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG, Pastor Sunday Akande, said the global church has given waste management and environmental sector the attention they deserve as all its facilities are top-notch and can be compared to any of its contemporary worldwide.

While praying for the good health of all the residents of the state, Akande said the church is open to new ideas in waste and environmental management, stating that the world is not static.