From Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar Some traders at the popular Watt Market in Calabar on Thursday commended the Hit FM, a private radio...
From Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Some traders at the popular Watt Market in Calabar on Thursday commended the Hit FM, a private radio station’s initiative to clean up the market and its surroundings.
They also called for a follow-up by relevant agencies of Government to de-silt blocked culverts and drains within the market and its environs to enhance free flow of runoff.
The traders spoke through their representatives in separate interviews with our Regional correspondent in Calabar.
Mr Udo Uyo, a businessman dealing in fairly used cloths, thanked Hit FM for keeping to its earlier resolve to clean-up the market. He also enjoined the State Government to reduce the anguish of the market users by opening up the blocked culvert at the centre of the market.
He said: “I am one of those using this culvert. At Donald Duke’s time, it was monitored every three months, to prevent debris from preventing water from flowing freely .But now we have been suffering from flooding. The maintenance of the culvert has been abandoned for two years.
“We want the government to help in clearing the culvert and clean the place as usual. All the waste from the market flows to this channel and you know what it means when it rains heavily, the whole place will be flooded. We thank Hit FM very much for cleaning the place for us and we call on every one even those of us selling in the market to take part in keeping Calabar clean.”
Similarly, Mrs Theresa Asuquo, who sells tomatoes and pepper also said: “I so much like what you people are doing. The work is so much okay. We are so happy that Hit FM is taking it upon them to clean Watt market. I was surprised at first when I saw them working this morning.
“But we call on the government to come and clear the drainages most especially the culvert. It has been blocked for long and once it rains heavy, everywhere will be filled with water and this affects our business,” she said.
Mr Patrick Ugbe, the chief Executive Officer of the station, who flagged off the campaign at Watt’s market, said the exercise was part of Hit FM’s corporate social responsibility in Cross River.
Ugbe, formerly Commissioner of Information in the state, said the initiative was also to forge a partnership with government and private sectors to be more responsive the state’s development.
He said: “What we are doing is our little contribution to the state government efforts on environment. This is corporate social responsibilities initiative to set up partnership with government and the private sector and be more responsive and responsible to what government is doing. The private sector should support the government.”
Commissioner for Environment, Mr Mike Eraye, who directed the team from Cross River Urban Development Authority, in the exercise, thanked Hit FM and other participating organisations in The Keep Calabar Clean initiative.
Eraye, who urged other stakeholders to key into the exercise, said that the duty of keeping the state free of dirts should not be the affair of the State government alone.
He said: “The event of today is very critical to the gains that we have made. We have done substantially well with the subject of the waste heaps. Life is not a straight road drive.
“We had some low point few months ago. We are out of the pits. We want to deal with some other elements and climb up to where we ought to be. So today Hit FM brought a very important initiative to drive the buy-in public sensitisation and education.
“We will continue to deploy this along with enforcement teams and sanitation teams already put in place to compel and persuade residents to work with government in keeping Calabar clean. To keep Calabar clean is not the responsibility of government alone that is why we are here. Many co-sponsors and supporters and other stakeholders are here to support Hit FM and to support us. We are very happy with that. We will flush the dirt out for free flow of water and all will be cleared again.”
The Branch Manager, Ekondo Micro Finance Bank, Francis Ajibobu, said that his organisation was in partnership with Hit FM to keep Calabar clean.
He said: “When the environment is clean then we can be healthy and be free from diseases and all forms of illness. I congratulate Hit FM for this initiative on corporate social responsibility. Other private bodies.
“Other organisations should take the queue from this and if we do this the environment will be clean; likewise Ekondo, that is why we are partnering with them in the exercise.”
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