My attention has been drawn to an unverifiable video circulating online, which seems to be aimed at sabotaging Onitsha South Local Government’s sanitation revenue drive.
The poorly scripted video must be disregarded in its entirety, as it is ill-motivated and intended to undermine Onitsha South Local Government’s revenue efforts.
For the sake of clarity, Onitsha South Local Government has a complaints unit and established procedures, which are overseen by the Mayor and reputable officials. This unit is responsible for addressing complaints related to staff misconduct and similar matters.
Simply put, if the creators of the video are genuine in their concerns, they are free to submit their complaints through the designated unit for internal disciplinary proceedings.
Therefore, circulating videos online without first exhausting the internal complaints mechanism is nothing but politically motivated blackmail.
Perhaps the latest “scriptwriters” have forgotten that Ochanja Roundabout was a refuse dump when Sir Emeka Joseph Orji assumed office as the Transitional Chairman(TC chairman). A state-funded intervention supervised by then T C chairman and HE Deputy Governor saved Ochanja Roundabout and its surroundings from being buried under refuse.
Our beloved State Governor not only saved Onitsha South Local Government, but he also went further to transform the roundabout into a beautiful, attractive site.
Onitsha South Local Government under Sir Emeka Orji is committed to ensuring that no part of its jurisdiction is overwhelmed by waste, as was the case in the past.
Council resources are limited, but a clean, healthy Onitsha South Local Government is achievable if all residents, business owners, transport operators, traders, and others work together in unity.
The practice of unionists and cartels feeding off revenue collections or sabotaging the Council’s digital revenue drives must stop. Those who engage in such practices will face penalties under the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law of 2024.
Trade union and community leaders are expected to engage with Council officials in an official capacity at the office, not in the field. They are to negotiate revenue tariffs with the Council, not revenue collection contracts.
I recall that there have been several meetings between Onitsha South Local Government and tricycle drivers regarding sanitation levies. At these meetings, various sanitation levies were agreed upon. The only point of disagreement has been the Tricycle Union’s inability to collect revenue using Point of Sale (POS) systems, as per state policy.
The current contractors are not collecting cash but are using POS services, which aligns with the Governor’s policy.
It is evident that the Tricycle Union leaders, along the Down Flyover to Main Market, scripted the video out of malice and with the apparent intention of obstructing or preventing the Council from collecting its rightful revenue.
I am certain that there is no alternative to internal revenue generation to address waste management in Onitsha South Local Government for the time being.
Accordingly, I respectfully urge all law-abiding residents, business owners, unionists, and others to support the Council in its efforts to sustain a clean and healthy Onitsha South Local Government, as cleanliness is next to godliness.
Paul Onuachalla
Secretary to Onitsha South LG