AKSEPWMA: Keeping Akwa Ibom clean and advancing govt’s visions

One of the treasured factors in the vision mix of the present-day Akwa Ibom state government is turning the State into an investment destination. For smooth pathways for the realization of the vision, every contravening variable, primarily a safe, clean, and healthy environment, must be upheld against odds.

Within two years, this vision has been magically actualized like a wave of the hand and has so been applauded by the authorities that be. On April 3, 2020, Clean-Up Nigeria, an affiliate of Africa Clean-Up Initiative, announced Akwa Ibom as the cleanest State in the Country. This was after ratings by the National Technical Study Group (NTSG) showed that Akwa Ibom State scored 68 percent, followed by Abuja with 66 percent. That effort is not without Hon. Prince Ikim at its helm.

Prince Ikim, through the AKSEPWMA, has put in much to ensure the implementation of policies capable of promoting sustainable use of natural resources, restoring, maintaining the ecosystem, ecological process, and preserving biodiversity, raising public awareness and promoting understanding of linkages of the environment.

Ikim led AKSEPWMA has contributed astronomically to Akwa Ibom being clean, safe, and green and thus boosting investors confidence.
The essence of such a feat is multidimensional, especially when considering the role played by a clean environment in attaining sustainable development goals (SDGs). Recall that on September 25, 2015, Heads of State and Government gathered at a special UN summit in New York to set lots of agenda amongst which protection of the environment through strategic environmental approaches ranked most. It is worthy to note that each of the 17 SDGs is related to the environment, which makes a clean environment the lifeblood towards achieving sustainable development goals, and the Prince Ikim led AKSEPWMA has measured shoulder to shoulder, and back to back with these goals.

How Akwa Ibom remains clean and attains most of the Sustainable Development Goals is worth analyzing, when one considers the state to have a Tropical Monsoon Climate, where significant rain, falls almost all year round, yet doesn’t suffer much flooding and waterways are not being blocked. Secondly, the disposal of solid waste is fast becoming challenging by the day. Many spots on the planet are experiencing soil, air and water contamination owing to improper Waste Management. Many households are ravaged by disease-carrying pests and some cities have toxic gases being emitted from dumpsites. These again makes it necessary to give worthy credits to AKSEPWMA and its leadership structures.
Shortly after being appointed Chairman of the AKSEPWMA, Prince Ikim reviewed and revived the monthly sanitation exercise that holds every last Saturday of the month. For three hours beginning by 7 AM, there are restrictions of movements as residents are expected to be involved in sanitation exercises. Post Sanitation exercise includes waste evacuation by a team from AKSEPWMA. With this, the streets of cities across the state remain clean all year round. The dumpsites were not left out. Before his appointment as the Chairman of the Agency, the Uyo village road and the premises of the Governor’s Office annex used bear foul odours from the dumpsite located along the Uyo village road. Today, those places carry the ambiance of fresh air, as waste Management best practices are being ensured.

In anticipation of the rainy season, AKSEPWMA had began distilling gutters and clearing of waterways across the state to avoid flooding during the rainy season.
While the world fights the Covid-19 pandemic, the AKSEPWMA is doing everything possible to prevent a community outbreak of the virus in Akwa Ibom State. Public places like the Airport, Akwa Ibom State Government House, parks and plaza in cities across the state are decontaminated periodically. Following the announcement of the Federal Government directives on reopening of Worship centers, AKSEPWMA Chairman, Prince Ikim, led teams to decontaminate Churches, Mosques, and other Worship centers across the state.
The Agency is also clearing up Primary school premises across the state, as preparation is being made for Schools reopening.

With Prince Ikim proactively steering the affairs of the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency AKSEPWMA, whose tasks include ensuring keeping Akwa Ibom Clean, the State is sure to remain the cleanest in the Country and investors destination in the Gulf of Guinea.

SAMUEL UDOH & IME JACOBS