The Obong of Calabar Executive Forum (OCEF) has requested the urgent removal of garbage piles lining the city of Calabar's main streets and roadways.
The Forum made the appeal in a statement that was made accessible to newsmen in Calabar and supported by its chairman, Chief Gershom Henshaw, and secretary, Dr. Maurice Ekpenyong.
The forum complained about the "embarrassment" brought on by the trash that had overtaken the city's main thoroughfares and streets.
If not quickly addressed, the piles of trash have continued to endanger the public's health and would perhaps cause an epidemic to break out in Calabar.
The OCEF described the prolonged refuse evacuation crisis as unacceptable, especially for a city known globally as one of the cleanest in the country and a preferred tourism destination.
”The refuse heaps in some areas have blocked traffic flow as well as entrances of residents to their houses, with emanating stench polluting the environment, thereby exposing the public to untold hardship and sickness.
”There should be regular, prompt and sufficient funding for the waste management agency and other relevant government agencies saddled with the responsibility of waste management in the state to reverse this ugly trend which has lingered for sometime now.”
The forum also advised members of the public to cooperate with the government to keep the environment clean always.
It also stated that the environmental cleanliness was important as the Christmas season approached with the expected influx of visitors into the state.
”Environmental sanitation should be prioritised at all times for the wellbeing of the people,” it stated.