PHOTOS: Dirt takes over Port Harcourt days after waste contractors sacking

Barely a week after the Rivers State government terminated the contract with all private waste contractors, waste has started to take over certain parts of the capital, Port Harcourt.

Photos circulating online show bags of refuse along certain roads in Port Harcourt with no waste management to clear them away.

The state had said the decision to terminate the contract of waste management with the Rivers State Management Agency (RIWAMA), stems from their inability to fulfil the contractual obligation to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for Rivers’ citizens.

Special Assistant on Media to the Governor of Rivers State, Kelvin Ebiri, made this known in a statement a week ago.

He said, “In the interim, the Rivers State Government has directed the Chairmen of Port Harcourt City and Obio-Akpor Local Government Areas to immediately take charge of the evacuation of waste in their respective jurisdiction, pending the announcement of new waste contractors by Monday.

“In line with its commitment to ensuring a more hygienic environment, the Rivers State Government has hereby assured residents and indigenes of the state of its resolve to tackle the waste problems in the state in a comprehensive manner.”