The Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Aba Zone, Elder Okezie Ezengwa, has urged the people of the state to support Governor Alex Otti as the agency marches towards making Aba the cleanest city in West Africa.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen in his office in Aba, Elder Okezie Ezengwa assured that the emergency environmental action declared by Governor Alex Otti, which led to the clearing of heaps of waste that had covered the streets of Aba and Umuahia, would be sustained, assuring that the clean city policy would achieve its objective.
He declared: “When it comes to environmental sanitation in the South East, what is happening in Aba shows that indeed a new dawn is here and that Aba is on its way to be reputed as the cleanest city in Nigeria and Indeed West Africa.

The Deputy General Manager of ASEPA, Aba Zone, commended Governor Otti for his environmental transformation drive and the ‘Keep Aba Clean’ initiative.
Elder Ezengwa applauded the Governor’s mandate to restore the commercial city of Aba to its former glory, noting that Otti’s support and infrastructural upgrades have empowered ASEPA to transition the state to a cleaner, healthier, and eco-friendly standard.

He lauded the inauguration of the ASEPA Monitoring and Compliance Team, which works closely with security agencies and environmental courts to curb indiscriminate waste disposal.
Elder Okezie Ezengwa stated, “We created operational areas within Aba and then deployed coordinators to man each area, equipping them with both human and material resources to ensure that the areas are kept clean and properly monitored every day.

“We have a very active public enlightenment department. And there are three different teams in that department that move around the city daily to enlighten our people on how best to keep the environment clean and safe.”
He said that ASEPA’s cleanliness efforts have restored the dignity of the Abia people under Dr Alex Otti’s leadership, noting that, beyond being a moral virtue, cleanliness reflected responsible leadership, disciplined citizenship, and a government’s commitment to protecting the health and dignity of its people.

He regretted that, in the past, Aba was tagged a dirty, stinking city by the world, despite being the best destination for commerce and industrial activities in southeast Nigeria.
The ASEPA boss remarked, “When we came in, we had to deal with inadequate equipment. But the governor provided us with significant support and approved the acquisition of equipment for our work.

“We also had issues with staff morale. and poor motivation. The salaries were low, and we requested a raise, which the Governor approved. We then set out, hit the road running, and confronted the challenges. There was extensive waste scattered throughout the metropolis, and we also deployed many buckets and waste-disposal bins to make it easy for our residents to dispose of waste.”
“Our target is to make Aba, and indeed Abia, one of the cleanest cities or states in Nigeria and West Africa. We’re not there yet, but we will get there. In the past, Aba was seen as the dirtiest city in Nigeria. We are determined to turn that around. We want to see Aba declared the cleanest city in Nigeria and West Africa.”

Elder Okezie Ezengwa observed that ASEPA was now well-equipped, retraining workers and changing people’s mindsets, stating, “No matter what you do, if people don’t cooperate with you by obeying sanitation laws, it would seem as if you are wasting your time. But if you’re doing a job and they’re cooperating, you can go far.”
Speaking on the re-election of Governor Alex Otti in 2027, he said, “As far as I’m concerned, this election is a walkover because the government has done far more than expected. Abia people want the Governor to continue with his good works.” Elder Okezie Ezengwa urged all Abians and residents to support the Governor’s re-election in 2027.