By Fidel Ozugha
Out of the 21 local government areas in Anambra State, Njikoka LGA, according Mr Austyn Toochi Nwoye – a psychologist by training but environmentalist by drive, and passionate Manager of Njikoka Waste. In an attempt to find out the veracity of this claim that Njikoka, his own local government area (for he hails from Abagana, headquarters of Njikoka LGA, The NationGuardNews (NGN) cornered him with the following questions:
NGN: Why cleaning the environment? Any consequences of not making our environment clean?
Austyn: As they say cleanliness is next to godliness, if we must live a healthy and long life, cleanliness is the takeoff point, or we shall meet with untimely death caused by diseases and infections.
NGN: What was the situation like before you took over the responsibility?
The Njikoka Model in waste management being put in practice
Austyn: The situation was a such that blocked drainages forces flood into homes and roads causing damages because waste were dumped in the gutters and water ways which ultimately effected our aquatic space leading to termination of rafia palm (ngwo) trees due to introduction of non biodegradable sediments into the soil PH.
NGN: How long have you been into it? Any prior knowledge or experience
Austyn: We are on our 21st month of managing waste in Njikoka, Our prior knowledge was from environmental seminars and other eco friendly programs by organisations within and outside Nigeria. We learn a lot on how best to make our environment livable. And it is a challenge to us in the business.
NGN: What were the initial challenges encountered and the current ones at the moment?
Austyn: The challenges we initially met was peoples inability to adopt a change from the norms. Our people are used to dumping of waste into gutters, water ways, erosion sites and indiscriminate burning of waste. So they found it difficult to change to the new normal way of tying their waste to be picked by waste management. They fought against it but with Government involvement we came out successful.
The current challenges are still bothered on adherence and compliance. They love the cleanliness but they don’t like the stipends attached to the levy.
NGN: How do you rate the cleanliness level of the LG?
Austyn: There is improvement at the cleanliness level but we are yet to get credit if to be scored so I put it at pass mark level. In the first year, it was a total war but this second year the people are beginning to understand it and it’s values. We hope to do more sensitization through schools, churches and town union meeting in order to get it easier and done.
All hands on deck to achieve neatness which is next to Godliness
NGN: Would you say that we have arrived in the world of dirt-free environment relative to what is obtained in the outside world?
Austyn: No we haven’t but we are moving gradually to that. It won’t happen in 21 months. With first 12 months spent on evacuation of waste baclogs in Njikoka, that we can say we are waste Dump free in Njikoka
NGN: What innovations, character changes do you think you have brought to the people as regards this business?
Austyn: The basic character change we have achieved is first that waste are not to be dumped in gutters, waterways and indiscriminate burning. We can equally say that our people can now package their waste, and with time we shall get them to sort and package which is our next phase of sensitization
NGN: How do you describe their response to keeping their environment clean? Any consequences if they fail to?
Austyn: Every human being loves good things of life. So I can tell you that they are responding positively but they also have their challenges.
The consequences of default is entirely a matter of law, stronger legislation should be made on environmental issues. For now we are making use of the available laws.
NGN: People talk about Njikoka Model in sanitation. What is all about? What are it’s strengths and weaknesses?
Austyn: The strength of Njikoka Model is in its practicality. It is easier to understand and practice. It is cheaper on the waste generators because they don’t need to buy expensive waste receptacles but an anaerobic waste bag. The weakness if at all is on consistency of generators.
NGN: How does it differ from others?
Austyn: The difference between Njikoka model and others is the door to door waste collection, non usage of dumpsites, rather we use sorting sites, treatment of sorting site intermittently, protection of workers by use of kits and gears necessary, the conversion to compost which is bagged and reused in farms and recycling of non biodegradable. These are the unique differences
NGN: What’s your future plan or plans in making Njikoka topnotch when it comes to cleanliness?
Austyn: We aint but to be and remain the cleanest local government in Anambra and in Nigeria with best waste management/conversion facilities which we are already on with foreign partners.
NGN: Where are you taking the LG to in the next five or ten years, neatness-wise?
Austyn: We hope to have a council on world map for best waste to environmental most friendly, a Local Government where waste is seen as wealth and treated thu
