Gov Fubara tired of open dumping system of waste management

… Demands innovative approaches that may generate income

Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State says the era of open waste dumping system is over. He has thus charged the new board he set up to come up with innovative method of managing waste in a modern city like Port Harcourt that can create also yield income.

Gov Fubara made the assertion while giving charge to the newly constituted Board of Directors of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) and its Managing Director at Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday, February 14, 2025.

The board members included Edward Namiesimagh as the chairman, while Bishop Best, Ipalibo Sogules, Richard Mazi, and Civian Y. Nwibari are members, with Orukwem Amadi-Oparaeli as the Managing Director.

Gov Fubara said waste disposal and management have remained a major global concern, adding that over the years, successive administrations in the State had struggled to take wastes off the streets but ended up taking them to other dumpsites where they constitute nuisance and environmental hazards.

He said, “Today, I am here putting a team together to look at these challenges differently. Let it not be the regular pattern whereby at the end of the month, you come to collect money from me for payments.

“Don’t indulge in appointing your friends as sweepers, evacuators of debris, then you start building hotels, or buying big cars. Let us go beyond that and tap into the potentials of waste management.

“It is an area in this world that there is so much money in. It is an area that creates employment, and generates huge revenue. It is not just depending on what I will give to you. Consider what change you’ll bring to the work, that’s what I want to see in Rivers State.”

Gov Fubara told them that they were carefully selected because of the experiences they had garnered in their previous public assignments, and urged them to replicate their successes on a bigger scale with the new appointment.

The governor advised them to work assiduously to bring back the beauty of Port Harcourt with effective waste disposal drive, and ensure the city is clean and green to reflect its old Garden City status.

Gov Fubara emphasised: “If not for our effort, today, some people could have even changed it to become Garbage City. But God forbid, it is not going to be in our own time.

“I want you to understand that I feel very unhappy with the sight I see. When you are driving into Port Harcourt, one of the first things that will welcome you is the waste dump that you see along the Obiri-Ikwerre-Airport Road. I don’t feel happy about it.

“Your first task should be to relocate it. That particular place needs to be completely closed because it is the entrance to the city. You need to get a new place where we can relocate our wastes.”

Gov Fubara urged them to be more responsible as they discharge their assignment, saying that it is more important to see results than being merely preoccupied with the aura of office.

The governor warned that he will not hesitate to relieve anyone found wanting, and return the agency back to the era of a sole administrator running the affairs of the agency.

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He noted, “This team cuts across all the senatorial districts, so that whatever you are going to do there, you ensure it spreads. While you are also carrying out this job, let it be known to the world that the interest of everybody in the State is accommodated.

“It shouldn’t be one-sided. Make sure that all our supporters who have the capacity and competence to do little jobs in the refuse area are also accommodated. I am serious. I have no doubt that you are going to impress us. So, I charge you to do all you can to make sure that the face of Port Harcourt changes when it comes to the issue of refuse.”

Gov Fubara told them to be good ambassadors of his administration as they interface with members of the public while also changing the face of refuse management in the State.

In his acceptance speech, Namiesimagh, the chairman of (RIWAMA), expressed appreciation to the governor, on behalf of members of the Board, for finding them worthy to handle such difficult but surmountable task of keeping Port Harcourt clean.

He said, “When I see the calibre of people you assembled, all of us are happy, and I assure that with our period of experience in our fields and politics and interaction with people and the zeal that comes with this job, we assure you that we will do our best to make sure that the policy of restoring Port Harcourt to its lost glory is achieved with your support.”