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Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has inaugurated Environmental Marshals and Supervisors with a charge to ensure cleanliness and environmental sustainability in the state.

Governor Oborevwori gave the charge at a one-day workshop for newly reconstituted Environmental Marshals and Supervisors held on Thursday at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Kingsley Emu, the Governor charged the marshals to ensure objectivity and spare no one in the fight against dirt and poor sanitation  in the state.

The Governor said: “The responsibility that you have is a big one. There is a need for you to hit the ground running because the entire state is dirty.

“I know, I have been through your ethics and I have seen all the good things written there, but all what you do outside is the opposite. Instead of enforcing a clean environment, you are manipulating a clean environment; that’s what has always happened.

“You must have integrity, and be  objective; you must be trusted and must not give wrong directive. There shouldn’t be any vendetta. You don’t go to your neighbour’s compound to deal with them when your own compound is completely dirty.

“Your job is not only to place houses on caution or sanctions but to even prevent dirt piling up. So, Mr. Chairman, the bigger responsibility you have is sensitisation. It is better to prevent a thief from stealing than catching the thief.

“If I go through your budget and I have the privilege to look at it, the greatest emphasis I will have will be on sensitisation before we start managing people.

“I want to also believe that you will involve the communities because they have lost it in terms of cleanliness. When we were growing up, if you refused to clean your environment, the community will kill a small fowl there and you will be made to pay; it doesn’t happen any more.

“I think that if everybody cleans the drains in front of his house and packs the dirt, you will not find dirt in our environment or neighbourhood.

“Any dirt you find in front of any compound, they should be held liable, irrespective of who dumped them. You see people with decent vehicles dropping dirt on the way, that’s a very serious offence.

“You should also create awards for performance on cleanliness since you have already grouped the marshals into zones. Let the zones with the best performance be rewarded.

“I hope you take your jobs seriously because there are more interested persons who can replace you if you do not do your jobs properly.”

The Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, at the occasion, said sustainable cleanliness was the responsibility of all stakeholders and tasked the Marshals to work assiduously for the environmental sustainability of the state.

In his welcome remarks, the Chairman, State Taskforce on Environment, Chief Godspower Asiuwhu, said the workshop was geared towards providing the needed guidance for the newly recruited Environmental Marshals and Supervisors to be abreast with the rudiments of their job, especially on the field, and in line with the MORE Agenda.

Asiuwhu stated that 18,750 applications were received following advertisement for qualified persons to apply for Environmental Marshals and Supervisors, out of which, he said, 652 persons were shortlisted for further screening, adding that, at the end of the screening exercise, 315 applicants were engaged.

He remarked that the Taskforce had expanded its operations for efficiency by creating Ethiope, Sapele, Ughelli  and Kwale zones.

“As Environmental Marshals and Supervisors, the aesthetic beauty of our environment must be your priority. You are expected to uphold a high level of integrity and diligence in carrying out your assignments in the field.

“Always maintain decorum in all you do and abstain from acts capable of bringing shame/ ridicule to the state government. To this end, violent activities are highly discouraged.

“Similarly, you should always be transparent with government revenues, never tamper with fines/revenues collected on behalf of the state government.

“As government recruited Environmental Marshals and Supervisors, be fully informed that any violation of the rules and regulations, as administered by the state government through this office, would not be condoned,” he said.

The Taskforce Chairman added that truancy, absenteeism, fighting or disrespect for constituted authorities and lateness to work were unacceptable, pointing out that such acts of misconduct would obviously attract sanctions.