Anambra targets third cleanest state in Nigeria – Waste mgt boss
Waste
By Chimezie Anaso
Awka, Dec. 11, 2025(NAN) Chief Mike Ozoemena, the Managing Director (MD) of Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA) says the state is targeting to be among the three cleanest states in Nigeria.
Ozoemena said this in Awka on Thursday while speaking on the activities of the agency in the past 12 months.
The MD said the state had adopted a decentralised waste management system where Local Government Councils took charge of their domains while the Ministry of Environment and ASWAMA coordinates.
He said the Gov. Chukwuma Soludo administration started out the environmental revolution with the cleaning of Okpoko in Ogbaru council area and desilting of drainages in Onitsha metropolis, noting that the next stage was to maintain a clean environment.
Ozoemena said the task of keeping Anambra clean was a herculean one because of the urban nature of most of the towns.
“The Governor has said that we are changing gear to gear-3 and here in ASWAMA, we are switching to the fast lane and the target is that we want to become the third cleanest state in Nigeria if not number one.
“Mr Governor started with Okpoko on March 18, 2022 with a committee led by the deputy governor and Ochanja market area which was a mountain of refuse was turned to a fountain of water.
“We decentralised the waste management system with involvement of the Local Government Councils now in charge of waste management in their domains while the ministry and ASWAMA coordinate,” he said.
Ozoemena said Anambra was holding talks with three companies for possible collaboration in bio energy and waste to wealth projects because of its capital intensive nature.
He said Anambra generates over 4,000 metric tons of waste daily which was huge enough to power a generating plant for energy production.
The MD said the agency would focus on high waste generation areas such as Eke Awka market which had proven to be a knotty point.
He cautioned residents of Anambra against paying sanitation levy in cash to anybody but pay into the state government account and obtain their receipts.
“Anybody who asks you to pay ASWAMA in cash is a thief, we did not send them, we only collect levies through approved state bank accounts,” he said.(NAN)(
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APC/EBI
Edited by Benson iziama
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