By Kemi Olatunde

Residents of Ondo State have been advised to improve their commitment to the monthly environmental sanitation exercise to prevent the outbreak of diseases.

Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr. Olumide Kinga, gave the advice while commenting on the July edition of the exercise on Saturday in Akure.

According to him, the exercise aims to encourage a clean and healthy environment, attributing the recent outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country to people’s lackadaisical attitude toward maintaining a clean environment.

Describing the level of compliance in Akure as impressive, he lauded the efforts of the monitoring team in ensuring that the state maintains a clean look, adding that with more commitment from stakeholders, the state will be free of diseases.

He stressed the need for everyone to embrace the sanitation exercise on a daily basis, calling for an improvement in people’s level of compliance to achieve the desired results in the state.

An investigation by The Hope revealed that most residents in Akure were on the ground to clean their environment within the stipulated time for the exercise.

In major streets in Akure, residents were seen with cleaning materials to put the environment in good shape, especially the drainages.

The major roads in the town were well swept, and waste was collected by waste collectors at the appropriate time during the exercise.

A resident in the Araromi area of Akure, Mrs. Biola Bosede, lauded the government for implementing the exercise, noting that it enables residents to give proper attention to their surroundings.

During the exercise, 83 people were arrested in various parts of the state capital, while several others, especially interstate travelers, were detained. There were also arrests of vehicles and motorcycles, while several others, including trailers, fuel tankers, trucks, buses, and cars, were detained.

General Manager of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority, Mr. Fola Omowole, was also on the ground alongside other staff of the authority to ensure effective monitoring of the exercise within the Akure metropolis.