Beggars and destitute have been warned to leave the streets of Oyo State or face evacuation by the government.
This is part of the government’s resolve to begin a total enforcement of its laws on environmental sanitation, street trading, illegal motors parks, land grabbing, urban and physical planning across the state.
The government on Wednesday announced that the enforcement of the law would start from Thursday.
According to the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water resources, Chief Isaac Ishola, beggars and destitute had the right to survival as well as good living either by re-uniting them with their families or handing them over to collaborating non-governmental organisations.
He said adequate sensitisation had already been carried out to ensure that the streets of the state were kept clean.
The law, he said, was against street trading, poor sanitation habits, illegal motor parks and destitutes littering the streets.
The commissioner disclosed that a 12-man task force headed by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Gbade Ojo, had been set up by the state government to enforce and ensure compliance of environmental sanitation.
He said much as the government did not want to create any hardship for the people of the state, it was necessary to build a modern Oyo State.
He added: “We want to achieve total compliance with the state environmental laws, the cooperation of the traditional rulers, community and market leaders cannot be over emphasized. It is expedient to use alternative method if the current ones are not yielding positive results. We see the issue of our environment and sanitation as a collective responsibility, therefore, all hands must be on deck to ensure a healthier, cleaner and investor friendly environment.”
