BASEPA bans farming of cereals in cities to check insecurity

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Asmau accessing the restroom

By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi

Worried by insecurity within cities across the State, Bauchi Government is to enforce the law banning planting of cereals within the city centers from next farming season.

The development is to check activities of hoodlums who use such farms as hideout for criminal activities.

The disclosure was made by the Director of Inspection, Enforcement and Compliance of the State Environmental Protection Agency, (BASEPA), Alhaji Mohammed Usman Sale at a pre-test of newly constructed user-friendly toilets located at the Multi-purpose Indoor Sports Hall, opposite Wunti Market Bauchi.

He said that the farming of crops such as maize, sorghum and millet within households and within the premises of Ministries, Departments and Agencies in major towns currently posed security threat, as such farms have formed hideouts of criminals who often vandalized and cart away governments properties.

Mohammed Usman Sale also expressed gratitude to WaterAid Nigeria for funding the construction of the user-friendly toilet and appealed to the management of Wunti Market Traders Association and the Road Transport Workers within the market to keep away hoodlums from the toilet site as well as ensure the entire location is free of human faeces and garbage.

In his remarks, WaterAid, Bauchi spokesman, Mashat Mallo implored Bauchi State government and toilet business operators to replicate the new user friendly toilet models across the state to enable government achieve its dream to end open defecation.

While commending government agencies like Urban Development Board, RUWASA and BASEPA for providing technical support for the actualization of the project, Mashat Mallo urged the agencies to provide a reliable and sustainable water source to the toilet to attract effective usage.

Earlier, the General Manager of RUWASA, Alhaji Adamu Sabo urged BASEPA to supervise the setting up of a facility caretaker office comprising officials of Wunti market traders association and the road transport workers union to ensure proper maintenance of the toilet.

On their part, representative of the people with special need, Asmau Yahaya and Iliya Ismail described the new toilet model as the most accessible for people with disability, saying, “our members can use it independently without anybody’s support.”