Concerned by the role of the State Ministry of Environment at ensuring a clean, healthy, safe and sustainable environment, the State House of Assembly has urged the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to appoint another substantive Commissioner for the Ministry.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, made the appeal while responding to the submission of a member representing Yewa North II and the Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Wahab Haruna, who intimidated the Assembly on the need to fill the vacuum created by the absence of a political head for the Ministry, which had been affecting some of the programmes and performances of the Ministry .

Oluomo while clarifying that the appointment of political office holders remained the prerogative of the State Governor, but having considered the need for the promotion of safe and healthy environment, the appointment of a new State Commissioner to take charge of the Ministry became imperative.

Such appointment, the Speaker added would allow for a more robust coordination and administration of the Ministry towards harnessing all strategies in tackling all environmental hazards including flash flood alert which had since been issued by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).

Calling for an improved efforts and synergy amongst related agencies handling environmental issues to reduce the adverse effects of the perennial flooding in some parts of the State, Oluomo equally admonished residents to adopt an attitudinal change by not dumping refuse in drainage channels or erecting structures on water ways, just as he urged those living on plain level, prone to flooding to relocate in line with NIMET advice.

Earlier, Haruna stated that the Ministry which had been without a Commissioner for about six months required a substantive Commissioner to achieve optimum performance.