The FCT Administration will ensure that all roads leading into and within the major Gosa dumpsite are rehabilitated before the advent of the raining season so that waste disposal trucks are not hindered from the proper disposal of refuse during the wet season.
FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello stated this when he inspected the 90.8 hectare Gosa dumpsite in company of senior management officers of the FCTA.
According to the Minister, over 1000 tons of waste from the city are deposited in the dumpsite everyday and the FCTA intends to ensure that the process went on as smoothly as possible.
In his words, “we want to make sure that the relevant roads into the dump site are rehabilitated and made stronger, so that at least for the six or seven months when the soil will be very weak and water logged, our vehicles bringing in solid waste from the city will be able to have access and also exit without too much hindrance”.
Malam Bello added that the FCTA will continue to improve on existing infrastructure, maintain facilities and areas where it is absolutely necessary, provide complementary infrastructure.
Speaking at the site, Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Malam Baba Shehu Lawan, said the access road to the dumpsite had been a challenge to the Board over the years as the trucks carrying tons of solid waste get stuck in the mud, especially during the raining season.
He said: “The trucks that are conveying the waste, they are carrying at the range of 18 tons to 30 tons each depending on the capacity of those trucks. During the rainy season, it’s really a herculean task for these trucks to ply and dispatch their waste.
“This visit is so that the Minister and relevant management staff can see the damage firsthand and to see that these roads are fixed within the next 10 weeks, when the rain is expected to be in full swing”.
Malam Lawan who explained the economic value of waste management to the FCT, and urged genuine private investor to take advantage of the business opportunities therein and invest in the waste manegement sector especially in the waste to energy aspect.
On the visit with the Minister were the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Umar Gambo Jibrin , the Director Engineering Services of the FCDA, Engr Shehu Hadi Ahmed and the Director, AEPB, Malam Baba Shehu Lawan.
