Ogbere Idi-Osan market becomes cleanest in Ibadan

OGBERE Idi-Osan Market, housed by Inukan Local Council Development Area, has become the cleanest market in Ibadan metropolis under the Operation Keep Ibadan Clean and Flood-Free (OKIC&FF) initiative.

Ogbere Idi-Osan market achieved this feat having scored 73.5%, Gbaremu market came second with 72.6% while Monatan market maintained the third position with 71.8% respectively.

Announcing the results, the Oyo state commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Isaac Ishola explained how the winners emerged.

According to the commissioner, “official correspondence from the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to all the 25 LGAs and LCDAs Ibadan metropolis requesting them to send list of their eligible markets for the competition.

“Responses were received from only 11 LGAs / LCDAs at the expiration of the timeline, even with some extension. The committee / panel embarked on sensitization visits to all the markets listed by the LGAs and LCDAs that responded, in concert with the Environmental Health Officers of the respective LGAs / LCDAs.”

Also speaking on OKIC&FF initiative, the Project Coordinator, Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP), Mr Dayo Ayorinde said: “the Operation Keep Ibadan Clean and Flood-Free is one of the non-structural measures conceived by the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) to tackle the problem of indiscriminate dumping of waste in markets, motor parks and other such public places.

“It is inline with the IUFMP mandate of mitigating flood risk disaster within Ibadan Metropolis, a ground breaking initiative of the administration of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

“OKIC&FF is being implemented by a multi party committee drawn from IUFMP, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Oyo State Waste Management Authority (OYOWMA), Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) and Nigeria Network for Awareness and Action for Environmental Health an international NGO focusing on environmental health.

“The overriding objective is to raise the cleanliness index of these places of mass convergence within Ibadan Metropolis, thereby improving the environmental status of the city”, he added.

The event had in attendance Chairmen of LGAs / LCDAs; Adesina Saheed Lanre (Inukan LCDA), Akeem Akintunde Sodiq (Egbeda), Adeyemi Adeyinka (Ajorosun LCDA), Asp. J. K. Afolabi (DPO Argugu), Mrs Iswat Abiola Amerigun (Iyaloja Ibadan), Mrs Mulikat Raji (Iyaloja Ogbere Idi-Osan) among others