FCTA spends N8bn on waste management annually – Minister

The FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has said N8 billion is being spent annually on waste management in the Federal Capital City and the satellite towns.

The Minister made the disclosure in a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Austine Elemue, on Sunday in Abuja.

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The statement said the Minister spoke at the maiden edition of the Annual General Meeting and Induction of Waste Management Association of Nigeria (WAMASON), FCT Council, in Abuja.

The Minister was quoted as saying that the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) spent an average of N6 billion, while the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) expended N2 billion on waste management annually.

Aliyu said that this brought the total sum of N8 billion to pay over 64 cleaning contractors, engaged in the management of waste in the nation’s capital.

She called on communities to adopt sustainable waste management practices, “which include sorting at source, composting of organic waste for horticultural/agricultural purposes amongst others.”

Speaking on the theme: “Waste management in a circular economy, financing stakeholders engagement and enforcement,” Aliyu also called for the transition to circular economy for sustainable growth and development in Nigeria.

She said that in a circular economy virtually nothing was discarded, stressing that products and materials were kept in circulation.

“For as long as possible by designing them to be more durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable.

“It is clear that waste management is a cross-cutting environmental issue, impacting many aspects of our society and the economy.

“It has strong linkages to a range of other global challenges such as health, food and resource security, sustainable consumption and production, climate change and poverty reduction,” Aliyu was quoted as saying in the statement.

She said the FCT Administration had been working assiduously in ensuring that new opportunities for sustainable growth were provided through increased budgetary provisions on waste management related services.

She pledged the FCT administration’s commitment to providing the necessary legal framework that guaranteed return on investment for effective service delivery.

The statement also quoted the Councillor, Waste Management Association of Nigeria, Mrs Kitan Oluwagbuyi, as saying that the workshop was organised in collaboration between the association and tertiary institutions across the country.

She said that the collaboration was also designed to organise mentorship and provide opportunities in waste management and sustainable development. (NAN)