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Ekiti clamps down on scavengers, unveils new regulations

By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

The Ekiti State Government has unveiled plans to regulate the activities of scavengers in an effort to enhance security and bolster revenue collection.

The announcement was made on Friday during a meeting in Ado-Ekiti with leaders of the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria from across the state’s 16 local government areas.

Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana (rtd), Special Adviser to the Ekiti State Governor on Security, disclosed that the government would commence the official registration of scavengers to ensure proper oversight and recognition. He noted that Governor Biodun Oyebanji had directed relevant agencies to address the activities of scavengers to prevent potential crises.

Brig. Gen. Ogundana expressed concern over the illicit activities associated with scavengers and reiterated the state government’s commitment to safeguarding its residents.

“This gathering is to ensure that we guarantee the security of our people because we have been receiving a lot of reports of these scavengers who go into the communities and start removing what they are not supposed to remove and some of the infrastructures government installed for the benefit of the people,” he stated.

Similarly, Mary Omotosho, Director General of the Bureau of Community Communications, revealed that recommendations had been submitted to the Ekiti State House of Assembly and the Board of Internal Revenue Service to enforce regulations and improve revenue generation.

“We have made recommendations to the Ekiti State House of Assembly, and the Speaker put up a committee to look into that. After this engagement, the House of Assembly will have a public hearing about their activities.

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“They also agreed that we should regulate their activities to the point that we should capture them under the tax net because they don’t even pay tax. We will work with the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service and the office of the Attorney General of Ekiti State to have that conclusion we have on the form and then we begin the enforcement,” Omotosho said.

In his remarks, Sunkanmi Onipede, Director General of the Ekiti State Waste Management Authority, affirmed that the registration process would help curb the menace of scavengers. He added that enforcement would involve the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Olawumi Famuyiwa, Director General of the Bureau of Civic Orientation and Citizenship, highlighted the importance of community outreach and sensitisation to ensure proper dissemination of information.

“We are going to cascade the information down to local government levels, to each zone and community to ensure that the message is passed to them effectively because if they don’t get the information from the right source, there might be misinformation. We are going to speak to them in the language they understand and get the information to everybody,” Famuyiwa explained.

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Ekiti clamps down on scavengers, unveils new regulations

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Ekiti clamps down on scavengers, unveils new regulations

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