Mayor of Port Harcourt City, applauds NYSC National Environmental Sanitation exercise
BY DESIRE LAWSON
The Mayor of Port Harcourt City, Sir Allwell Ihunda has described the National Yuoths’ Service Corps, NYSC National Environmental Sanitation Day initiative as “timely, strategic and very good for the health of citizens”.
He made the assertion during the flag off of the NYSC National Environmental Sanitation Day with the theme: “Clean Environment/Good Hygiene: Panacea for Good Health and Long Life” held at the Port Harcourt city Local Government Area Council hall.
The Mayor commended the Director General NYSC and top management for sharing the same vision with his administration in providing a clean, safe and healthy environment for the citizens.
He noted that his administration has recently inaugurated the Council’s Environmental Sanitation Committee with the mandate to rid the Council off filth and ensure maximum clean environment in the capital city of Rivers State, just about the same time NYSC came up with the national environmental sanitation day initiative.
Speaking further, Sir Ihunda assured the NYSC that the Council’s sanitation committee will work with them to achieve success stressing that his office will support them with all necessary logistics to do their work well.
Earlier in his address, the NYSC Rivers State Coordinator, Chief Chinwendu Chukwu who flagged off the sanitation exercise in the state on behalf of the DG NYSC; said the environmental sanitation day initiative was borne out of findings by NYSC top management from the last Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, HIRD programme held to offer free medical treatment to indigent citizens and where it was found out that most of the sicknesses suffered by citizens, such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and malaria, were environment related.
Chief Chukwu further stated that in a bid to stem the tide on environment related diseases, the NYSC management took the proactive step of introducing the novel national environmental sanitation day to promote clean, safe and healthy environment for the citizens.
While commending the Mayor of Port Harcourt city for the massive sanitation items he procured to assist the NYSC to achieve the desired result in the clean up exercise,
The NYSC State Coordinator called for the support of all critical stakeholders for maximum success.
After the formal flag off ceremony, Chief Chukwu led the officials of NYSC, Phalga sanitation committee members and corps members in the cleaning and evacuation of refuse at Isaac Boro park by Mile 1 flyover.
He also monitored the exercise in designated areas of Port Harcourt and environs and expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise across the state.
