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Refuse Contractors Plead With Oyo State Govt, Warn Against Outbreak of Epidemic

Published

7 years ago

May 15, 2017

Executives and members of Refuse Contractors Association of Oyo State have pleaded with the state government to rescind its decision on the termination of contracts with private waste contractors warning that there could be an outbreak of epidemic disease in the state as well as job loss if the workers were not recalled.

Addressing news men in Ibadan during the weekend, the Chairman of the association, Mr. Tunde Ahmed Olowoporoku declared that his association was not on collision course with the government but wanted the government to be compassionate with refuse contractors as its decision would take job of over 400 members.

Ahmed who was at the occasion with Mr. Stephen Ogundipe, the former President, Mr.G .O. Omotoso, John Komolafe and Elder Fajemiyo among others, said that the association was ready to dialogue with the government on the issue.

He said that though change was inevitable, “the change must take care of our interest as all our members would be forced out of our job if the government refused to change the hard position.”

The Chairman explained that the association did not fail in its financial obligation on the transaction stressing, “all necessary payments like renewal of license for the year and monthly dumping fees are being paid by our members to a designated account namely Oyo State Centralized Pollution Account.”

He added that majority of his members had been issued the 2017 license which expires by December 2017 adding some were given three months and six months validity.

The Chairman disclosed that his association had rejected the proposal by the consultant to be receive 30 percent of their monthly generated revenue adding that the renewal fee and dumping had been increased by 100 percent this year.

Ahmed alleged that his members were being chased by law enforcement agents sent by consultants disturbing his members from conducting their operations adding, “all our dumping sites were closed against our members which prevented our members from performing their statutory duty and which may likely cause epidemic in the state.”

He disclosed that there had been litigations on the matter but the two sides namely his association and the government have agreed to settle the issue out of court but regretted to observe that the present scenario appeared as a negation of the rule of law.

The Chairman said that despite the disappointment experienced from the negative position of the government announcing the termination of their contract, “We are not confronting the government at all .We are still ready for dialogue in order to restore our job.”