By Daniel Tyokua
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) on Monday, said more efforts are in progress to recover the debt owed it by those that refused to pay for the waste evacuation fee services rendered to them.
Director of the board, Engr Osilama Braimah, said the sum of six billion naira so far recovered from some defaulters was good, but not enough.
Recall that months ago, the board had sealed some office premises in Abuja over N10 billion waste management debt owed the AEPB.
He said the mass trial of those who have defaulted in paying waste charges, and those who have failed to procure the appropriate sanitary bin contravens the AEPB’s Act, affecting the revenue recovery drive of the board.
He said the board want the residents to always pay the waste bill and other environmental charges.
“In the past, it was a lot cheaper to manage a city than as it is today, because the current cost of diesel to use in moving evacuation equipment is high, gradually the cost is becoming prohibited, so these services are no more cheap, that is why despite subsidizing it we have to use legal aspect too to recover the revenue”
However, a Mobile court sitting in Old Parade ground Area 10 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday, arraigned sixty-five persons over failure to pay their waste evacuation fee owed the board.
The defaulters were arraigned for failure to pay waste evacuation bill which is contrary to section 30 (4) of the board Act.
Addressing journalists, the prosecutor who is assistant Director and state counsel at Abuja Environmental Protection Board , Odemeh Omana said the (mobile) court on environmental matters sat to try those that have failed to pay for services that were rendered to them.
He said those who are residents or carrying out activities within the Federal Capital Territory, must pay for a statutory fee for the services required to be paid yearly.
According to him, ” For Some years now, some individuals are refusing to pay for the services rendered to them, even though the services were still running.
“The law makes it an offence whereby the government discharges it obligation of deposing waste but the citizens failed to pay the fee required statutory. Therefore, the court sat today, to hear the matter and punish the offenders.
“About six mobile courts sat today and arraigned sixty five defaulters before the court after they were served with summons to appear before the it.They were found guilty and convicted of having contravened the provision of the AEPB’s Act, the court asked them to pay the fees before the 19th day of September, which is Monday, next week if not, their premises will be sealed. They were asked to pay a fine of 5,000”
