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Abia Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Ogbonna, says HAB 31: a Bill for a Law to Establish Abia State Polluter Pays and Extended Producer Responsibility for the Management of Non-biodegradable Packaging Materials and for other matters connected therewith will re-awaken the consciousness of Abians regarding environmental cleanliness if passed into law.
Speaking on Friday during a public hearing on the bill held at the Abia State House of Assembly, Umuahia, Ogbonna insisted that the bill does not seek to exploit or punish anyone unjustly but seeks to ensure that there is attitudinal change on the part of the producer and the consumer in waste management.
He said, “Let’s have attitudinal change in making sure that the environment is placed first in anything we are doing. At the end of it, like what we have done now, the producers are getting conscious.They will go back and think what they will do better to save the environment. That is the target, that is the objective. It’s not primarily about people paying tax anyhow, it is about ensuring there is decorum in environmental cleanliness.”
The Commissioner called on people not to agitate over the provisions of the bill, maintaining that as a government, it is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the right strategies are initiated in the area of waste management, adding that in doing their business, the producers must find a better way of handling the non-bio-degradable products which litter the streets of Abia State.
Mr Ogbonna argued that this bill has even become more important to pass into law especially as Abia State has been identified as one of the states that will experience flooding resulting from massive rain that has so far taken place this year.
“Once people get to know that you are managing their businesses and back product, it’s not environmentally friendly. They go back and do it better. That’s what the ministry wants to get. As Abia has been predicted as one of the states that will be flooded this year, what do we do? Do we allow that to happen? That is why it is important now to device a means to take care of non-biodegradable materials that block the drainages.”
“It is about human activity and attitude. People deliberately block the drains and worsen the entire situation. So if this will go out and make people to do that which is right, to save the environment, fine and good. That’s what we want to achieve. It’s not the money.”
He supported the bill, urging the Abia House of Assembly to go ahead with the necessary consultations and pass the bill into law, reiterating that the bill is not targeting anyone but a very important bill that will bring sanity in environmental cleanliness.
On his part, Hon. Kalu Mba-Nwoko, member representing Ohafia South State Constituency, House Committee Chairman on Environment, and the co-sponsor of the bill, said conducting public hearings when there is a difficult puzzle in the Legislative arm of government, makes democracy viable. He said the country is not practicing authocratic rule, hence everyone is allowed to make inputs in matters of this magnitude.
“If we wanted to impose this law on the masses, we wouldn’t have called for public hearing. People have expressed their opinions, we are still expecting them to make a written article and send to us so that we would know the next move. There will be need for us to sit again over this matter before we we go and deal with it again on the floor of the house. We are happy for they have expressed their feelings and minds.
Hon. Mba-Nwoko debunked the notion that the bill will impose additional tax if passed into law. stressing that it is going to be a departure from the era of direct taxation to an era of indirect taxation, saying, “If you look at it holistically, many people don’t pay taxes and this is not the way we would build Abia of our own. The government will always device a means to get internal revenue to continue running the affairs of the State as well as providing dividends of democracy to the people.
He urged all to view the bill having in mind it’s merits, emphasizing that what matters is that at the end of all discussions, they will reach a compromise which will guarantee a perfect bill, pointing out that the bill intends to make manufacturers responsible to some extent in helping the government keep Abia State clean.
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