BENIN CITY – In keeping with the state government’s notice aimed at promoting cleanliness within the state, the sanitation monitoring unit of the Environmental and Waste Management Board, embarked on this month’s sanitation evaluation exercise penultimate Friday in Benin City.

The sanitation exercise which kicked off in earnest penultimate Friday saw the Special Administrator on Environmental and Waste Management, Mrs. Ejemen Inegbenoise in company of the sanitation monitoring unit of the board, paying a scheduled visit to offices of government-owned establishments to ascertain their level of compliance with the state government’s notice on cleanliness, to engender a cleaner and healthier environment.

At the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources located on Central Road, Benin City, the Special Administrator expressed satisfaction at the level of compliance of the entire staff of the establishment to the policy of cleanliness just as efforts were made by them to rid the premises of the huge dump sites which the authorities of the establishment claimed were posing a health risk.

However, Mrs. Inegbenoise expressed displeasure over the attitude of the staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources on Central Road, G.R.A., when a first hand visit to the premises of the establishment revealed a building buried in dirts and surrounded by overgrown grasses.

When queried about the genesis of the highly embarrassing and insanitory nature of the establishment, authorities of the establishment were quick to attribute this to paucity of funds to employ casual workers to maintain the environment.

The authorities of the Board of Internal Revenue and the State Post Primary Education Board, both situated along New Benin Lagos Road, were on hand to demonstrate their compliance with one cleanliness notice as they were seen sweeping and removing debris from their surroundings.

Meanwhile, the special administrator re-affirmed the determination of the state government to sanction any establishment within the state whenever they defaulted in complying with the state’s government notice to keep their surroundings and offices clean.

She, however, hinted that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resoruces would be sanctioned and served notice for violating the sanitation notice.