Abia Goes After Unwholesome Activities Of Property Owners In The State

By Suleiman Anyalewdchi

The Abia State Government on Friday, January 17, 2025, vowed to visit the full weight of the law on residents indulging in indiscriminate disposal of sewage into public drainages and facilities.

This is even as the Management of the Greater Aba Development Authority GADA, informed that stringent penalties, including prosecution, and fines have been lined  up as punishments for those channeling waste products into drainages on major roads across the cities of the State

At a media briefing after conducting journalists round a mini high rise property on the popular PortHarcourt-Aba Road sealed for channeling sewages into the drainage, the Head of Environmental Health, Aba metropolitan  Council, Elder Ndibe Ugochukwu, warned that the authorities will not sit by and watch some unscrupulous elements expose Aba residents to avoidable health hazards .

If left unchecked, the unwholesome activities,of property and business premises owners ,according to him, have the very high potentials ,of leading to the outbreak of epidemics in the commercial hub of the State.

Elder  Ugochukwu regretted that over 70 percent of property  owners, hoteliers, business premises owners, and developers in Aba, are channeling waste products from their properties  into public drainages,and infrastructural facilities.

He noted that such unhealthy activities are the most well- known purveyors of epidemics and other communicable diseases in the system.

“Look the developer of the building at number 47 Port Harcourt road Aba ,( a three story building) after spending millions of naira ,in constructing the property, refused or neglected to build simple soakaway pits  and other waste disposal facilities .

“He rather chose to channel the sewages into the drainages still  under construction along  the all important  Port Harcourt road by Julius Berger .

“When we discovered the development ,we ( Environmental officials ) approached him ,and requested him to  abandon the unwholesome and illegal move .

“But you can’t believe that he blatantly refused and insisted on going ahead with the project, including breaking part of the drainages under construction .

“He was given seven days notice to construct a soakawy pit to re- channel all the waste .We served him an abate notice on December 31,2024 ,urging him to stop work .

“After ,the expiry of the notice ,he still refused to do the needful ,and was bent on breaking Government drainage to channel waste.

“Well ,we are using his matter as a test case. to many because he must have to comply.About  70 % of landlords and business premises owners in Aba channeled sewages into public drainages and we will not allow such to continue.

“At this point ,we had to apply the law by having the building sealed in conjunction with our sister agency the Greater Aba Development Authority, GADA .

:We have taken him to court ,for willfully exposing residents to serious health hazards and destruction of public property.

“However, our concern is that we are being made to understand that some GADA officials have gone ahead to unseal the property without reference to us .

“That notwithstanding, we are determined to apply the full weight of the law to serve as a deterrent to others in the habit of making public drainages their waste disposal facilities”, the Environmental head stated .

Further speaking ,Elder Ugochukwu, insisted that all property owners in the city must have sizable septic tanks and soakaway pits in line with the provisions of the  “Public Health Law CAP 103 ,Vol 6 of 2005”.

Arch Uche Ukeje, Director General GADA, stated that  the agency has taken measures to deter landlords and business premises from the unwholesome activities of channeling waste into public drainages.

While denying the allegation that his agency unsealed the Port Harcourt road controversial property, Ukeje, reaffirmed GADA’s readiness to work collaboratively with other bodies to halt illegal channeling of waste products into drainages .

He informed that the agency has resolved to prosecute and  impose fines ranging  from N200,000 to N500,000 on landlords who engage in channeling waste into public facilities .

“When the matter of the building on Port Harcourt road came up,bI sent a team there on January 2,.

“The team worked in synergy with the health officials and eventually the place was sealed. It wasn’t hidden because we put up an official announcement to that effect.

“As usual , you will not seal somebody’s property forever .The reason you seal is for the proper things to be done and not to demolish.

“He (developer) was instructed to construct a septic tank to channel his waste properly, and there is no way he can do that without gaining access to the property.

In real terms ,the property is still sealed .But ,we only allowed the developer to go in and effect the corrections demanded of him.

“When a building is under seal ,no work will go on there unless the barrier is removed ,and that is what we have done to remove the red tape ,and allow the developer to go and do the corrections.  Officially, we cannot unseal when the corrective work has not been done”,  the GADA DG stated