The Kano State Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB) has said that restoring sanitary inspection is a significant step toward improving environmental sanitation and protecting public health.
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‎The board’s spokesman, Abubakar Ahmad, disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday in Kano.
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He said the state government reviewed the Kano State Refuse Management and Sanitation Board Law No. 7 of 2003.
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According to him, the review is aimed at modernising environmental sanitation management and strengthening the board’s capacity to address emerging environmental challenges.
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”The revised law will strengthen the board’s legal powers, improve operational efficiency, enhance enforcement of sanitation regulations and promote sustainable waste management practices,” he said.
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‎He described the move as an important step toward strengthening public institutions and advancing the state’s commitment to a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment.
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‎Mr Ahmad further explained that the board conducts monthly environmental sanitation enforcement exercises to ensure compliance with established regulations.
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He said the board would sustain its enforcement activities and public enlightenment campaigns to encourage residents to keep their surroundings clean and adopt responsible waste disposal practices.
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‎He reaffirmed REMASAB’s commitment to safeguarding public health, promoting environmental responsibility and ensuring effective waste management across the state.
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‎Mr Ahmad urged residents to support the government’s sanitation initiatives by keeping their homes, business premises and surroundings clean. ‎He added that environmental cleanliness requires collective responsibility from everyone in society.
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A professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Bayero University Kano, Aliyu Barau, said restoring sanitation inspectors would go a long way toward ensuring hygiene in the state.
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Mr Barau, however, observed that the inspectors might face difficulties going from house to house, hence the need for a massive awareness campaign to inform households on hygiene for their health care and well-being.
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‎”Definitely, we need sanitation inspectors who would inspect business premises and streets where the petty traders engage in indiscriminate dumping of waste, adding to the burden of the government, which spends a lot of money paying the street sweepers and cleaners.
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‎”So, we have to nip this in the bud by making sure that the sanitary inspectors play the role of tracking and tracing sources of waste. “We have to do that, and it is critical. To nip it (indiscriminate waste) in the bud, we have to track and trace waste from the sources. The people should be held responsible for any waste that they generate,” he said.
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‎He also advised the government to develop strategies to reward people who help with waste management.
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‎In Kaduna, an assistant director for environment at the Kaduna State Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA), Kabadiya Dawuda, said the state government has reintroduced sanitary inspections across the state alongside monthly environmental sanitation.
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‎She said sanitary inspectors, including local government staff, were conducting house-to-house inspections to ensure that both liquid and solid waste are disposed of properly.

(NAN)