By: Dave Ayodele, Bauchi
Bauchi State government is to enforce the law banning planting of cereals within the city centers from next farming season to check activities of hoodlums who use such farms for criminal activities.
The Director of Inspection, Enforcement and Compliance of the State Environmental Protection Agency, BASEPA, Alhaji Mohammed Usman Sale dropped this hint at a pre-test of newly constructed user-friendly toilet located at the Multi-purpose Indoor Sports Hall opposite Wunti Market Bauchi.
He said farming of crops such as maize, sorghum and millet within households and within the premises of ministries, departments and agencies in major towns currently posed security threat, as such farms formed hideouts of criminals who often vandalized and cart away governments property.
Alhaji Mohammed Usman Sale who expressed gratitude to WaterAid Nigeria for funding the construction of the user-friendly toilet, appealed to the management of Wunti Market traders association and the road transport workers within the market to keep away hoodlums from the toilet site as well as ensure the entire location is free of human faeces and garbage.
In his remark, WaterAid Bauchi spokesman Mashat Mallo implored Bauchi State government and toilet business operators to replicate the new user friendly toilet models across the state to enable government achieve its dream to end open defecation.
While commending government agencies like Urban Development Board, RUWASA and BASEPA for providing technical support for the actualization of the project Mr Mallo urged the agencies to provide a reliable and sustainable water source to the toilet to attract effective usage.
Earlier, the General Manager of RUWASA, Alhaji Adamu Sabo urged BASEPA to supervise the sitting up of a facility caretaker office comprising officials of Wunti market traders association and the road transport workers union to ensure proper maintenance of the toilet.
On their part, representative of the people with special need, Asmazu Yahaya and Iliya Ismail described the new toilet model as the most accessible for people with disability, saying, “our members can use it independently without anybody’s support.
