The Governor Of Abia State, Alex Otti, has revealed the reasons behind his administration’s decision to engage the private sector in waste management.
Otti disclosed this through his Senior Special Assistant on Due Process, Dr Oluebube Chukwu, stating that the approach was aimed at establishing a highly efficient waste management system for Abia.
Otti, had during his inaugural speech on May 29, declared state of emergency on waste which hitherto, had literally taken over some roads in parts of the state especially in Aba and Umuahia.
However, there has been significant improvement on waste management since then as most of the heaps of refuse dumps that defaced the streets have disappeared although more improvement is required in this direction.
The Governor’s Aide, told journalists Umuhia that integrating the private sector into building a sustainable waste management system was driven by the vision of creating “a cleaner and healthier Abia”.
He pointed out phased approach to engage private sector participants, saying that the first phase has been successfully completed as bidders have emerged.
He said the winning bidders for waste management contracts in the state have been categorized into three groups: preferred, reserved, and second reserved bidders.
He made it clear that the preferred bidders, who emerged as the winners, were currently being notified and their engagement letters were undergoing review.
Chukwu disclosed that the existing emergency taskforce on waste management would soon be relieved of its duties to facilitate the transition to Private Sector Participants, which would further drive the state’s rebuilding agenda.
“The preferred bidders, that is the winners, are currently receiving notifications to a meeting and their letters for engagement are under review, which will be served on each of the six preferred bidders.
“In this new week, they will be getting those invitation to a meeting; where the offer letter will be shared and the service benchmark will be discussed with them.
“At the meeting negotiations will be concluded so that they can commence work immediately.
He expressed Otti’s administration commitment towards transforming the environment sanitation of Abia State.
He explained that the new strategy introduced by the Governor was aimed at making Abia the cleanest state in the country, a status it will soon assume.
He acknowledged that other gains of Private Sector Participation in waste management include improving public waste areas, creating job opportunities, boosting the state’s economy, and improvement in the cleanliness of the state.
