Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA), has asked Governor Chukwuma Soludo to develop a structured waste management system in Anambra State as against the present disorganised system.
The President of Onitsha Chamber Chief Kevin Obieri, who stated this recently when the Organised Private Sector (OPS) addressed the press in Onitsha, the Anambra State commercial nerve centre on critical issues affecting the state.
He also called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo, to urgently address the issue of failed road networks in the city and it’s adjourning areas.
Obieri who was with some of the council members during the briefing lauded the state government for the recent clearing of refuse in Onitsha and environs but stated that neglect of waste management over the years has created a herculean and unorganised system, which needs an urgent intervention.
He advised that the state government should open a bidding process for private companies to invest in the disposal and management of waste currently mounting in all major cities across the state.
The leader of the OPS said companies can be assigned specific areas and routes to cover, stressing that such would ensure speedy evacuation of refuse in Onitsha and envions.
“The government should partner with companies and landlords associations to design an affordable waste disposable billing system, whereby streets or locations that sign up to it can have waste services provided for these locations by specified and known contractors”.
The chamber chairman also suggested that the state government should equally introduce a volunteer scheme where many young men and women without jobs, especially those disengaged from their illegal revenue collection activities can be copted into the exercise and properly remunerated.
Obieri also asked the state government to quickly streamline it’s internal revenues generating process so that it has the necessary funds to meet up with its obligations.
To that extent, he said that approved revenue collection centres should be created throughout the state for easy taxes or levies.
“Qualified consultants should be appointed to generate and prepare data on the taxable population. Working with the relevant government offices, these consultants can take responsibility for collecting the taxes each year and getting the taxpayers to pay directly to designated bank accounts, while the commission of the consultants would be processed and paid based on their report and presentation of deposit slips for taxes paid/ deposited by the taxpayers.” Obieri said.
The OPS equally said that the state government should work hard to standardise and widely publicize all the taxes and levies so that tax payers and consultants would be properly guided, warning that taxes should not be too high comparatively so that it can be affordable for more people to pay.
“commercial tricycle, vehicle operators and others should equally have adequate information on approved levies and collection points, where these payments can be made with the issuance of of receipts as proof payment.”
Their union officers should also find better ways of collecting these dues from them instead of waiting on the roads and chasing them about.
Chief Obieri also expressed concern over the need for the state government to commence immediate rehabilitation of roads in all major cities of the state to ease the grinding gridlock constantly being experienced by commutters on daily basis.
He pointed that employment creation, establishment of Mass Transit system in Onitsha and Awka metropolis among others are paramount.
He mentioned some of the roads to be tackled immediately to include; New Market Road, Niger Street to Main Market, Modebe Avenue, Iweka Road, Ochanja- Zik Avenue, Creek Road, Porthacourt Road, and the dualisation of Onitsha-33-Otuocha among others.
The ONICCIMA president equally stressed the need for the creation of bus stops as well as creation of more access routes to divert traffics in Onitsha and environs.
