Akwa Ibom State has re-emerged for the fourth time the cleanest state in Nigeria, scoring 63 per cent from five different cleanliness categories.
Clean-up Nigeria (CUN), a frontline international (NGO) with social and economic consultative status with the United Nation since 1994, conferred the award on Akwa Ibom in Abuja on Wednesday.
The performance indicators were Streets/Roads Cleanliness- 30 per cent; Vegetation/Drain Control- 20 per cent; Waste Management Services- 30 per cent; Public Opinion- 10 per cent; Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of hygiene and sanitation of the people – 10 per cent.
The cleanliness performance index rating of all States/Towns of the federation study was carried out from December 2020 to November, 2021.
For emerging a winner back to back in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, Akwa Ibom State has won the cleanest State trophy for keeps, and a live size golden trophy measuring 12ft by 6ft to be mounted by CUN at a strategically approved point by the State Government.
CUN National Technical Study Group (NTSG) for the 2021 states/cities cleanliness performance rating index in Nigeria had 15 members from different professions and states with Professor Solomon Balogun as the Chairman while High Prince Ene Baba Owoh, Jr. served as the CUN National Coordinator/Secretary NTSG.
Owoh who signed the report explained that CUN applied combined Physical Verification 20% and Satellite imagery data 80 per cent in the Performance Indicators on a monthly basis every quarter of the year.
”In observation of the global precautionary protocols on Covid-19, where restricted movements and social distancing becomes the order of the day and in order to sustain the project landmarks credibility ratings, we further secured the overwhelming support from our project partners to deploy the full application of the world’s highest satellite imagery system (the GEO-EYE-1) that collects spectral images (data) at 0.14 meters or 16 inches from the orbit quarterly year-round as monitored from Canada to give us accurate and reliable data base using the five variables,’’ Owoh noted.
Findings
According to CUN, ”In 2021, our studies further showed that less than four States who scored above 40% can be considered to be clean, compared to 2020 when there were three (3) States (Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Bauchi States) and four cities namely; (Abuja, Uyo, Bauchi and Abakiliki)can be said to be clean in year 2021.
Performance indicators from our studies show that over 172.7 million Nigerians in 2021 are living in unclean environment, compared to 170 million in 2020.
Presently, only four States in the country namely Lagos, Oyo, Abuja and Bauchi have sanitary landfills, while the remaining 34 States operate open dumping. This development is not only alarming but calls for urgent intervention in addressing the menace.
As our graphic chart statistics on monitoring/evaluation of the States have shown only 7 States (Akwa Ibom, Abuja, Cross River, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Lagos and Kaduna) who scored above 15% out of the 30% on the streets/roads cleanliness indicators have clean roads in the country.
Vegetation/drainage control shows that only Akwa Ibom and FCT scored an average of 8% from the 20% marks have effectively managed and sustain vegetation /drainage control, in the country.
On personal hygiene and sanitation only three States (Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Abuja City) scored above 3% of the 10% and can be said to come close to possession of good personal hygiene/sanitation practices in the country
On the average, only four states (Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Kaduna and Bauchi) can be considered to be clean having scored above 40% respectively.
Painfully, 32 out of 36 States including the rest of FCT outside of Abuja City by our statistical study are rated as unclean States.
”As observed from our satellite imagery 95% of the States/Towns in the country recorded poor performance under the five (5) variables, in our performance indicators (street/road cleanliness, vegetation Control/distilting, waste management services, public opinion pool and knowledge and attitude and practice of hygiene and sanitation).
”Except States like Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Kaduna including Abuja metropolis however stepped up their environmental activities during the period under renew (2021).
”Improved portable water, hygiene/sanitation, practice and adequate waste management services can help reduce malaria/Thyroid by 80% in Nigeria,’’ the NGO remarked.
Recommendations
CUN opined ”We encourage all stakeholders to engage in peer review mechanism by making out time to visit both the winning States/Cities and the backward States/Cities to benefit and gain more insights to what the top States are doing in order to improve their performance ratings.
”We urge Nigerians, among other things, to embrace strong personal hygiene and good sanitation habits and to dispose of their waste at the right places.
”We are encouraged by government at all levels and the populace in the sense that after the initial three cleanliness index ratings studies we carried out in 2018, 2019 and 2020 there has been encouraging improvement in hygiene/sanitation practice across the states by 3% in year 2021.’’
According to the organisation, ”This is in line with the project’s goal which is founded on bringing sanitation and waste management to the front burner of both government, the populace and in the process increase awareness and encourage alternative actions on personal hygiene/sanitation in order to ensure a cleaner, healthier and safer Nigeria.’’
He thanked International partners who made the study possible through their support namely; The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), Canada; keep America Beautiful (KAB). USA; DSZ, Germany, SUEZ Foundation, France and Clean-Up the world, Australia.
Owoh who is also the Secretary of NTSG congratulated Akwa Ibom people and Government for emerging the Cleanest State for the year 2021 in Nigeria, with a cumulative score of 64% and the 2nd and 3rd States (Ebonyi55% and Bauchi 44%) and also Abuja for emerging the cleanest city in Nigeria for year 2021 with 79% closely followed by Uyo with 63%.
Receiving the award for Governor Udom Emmanuel, Prince Ikim, the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSPEWMA) thanked CUN for the award and pledged to do more to keep the state cleaner.
