The Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Bro. Felix Obuah, has announced three months extension to contractors working with the Agency.

Bro. Obuah made the announcement while addressing a meeting with service providers in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. He said the decision to extend the contract, which ended in December 2017, was as an act of grace, adding that the Agency would use the period of extension for appraisal and determination of renewal.

He hinted that while many of the service providers have done very well, few had failed to meet the expectations of the Agency. Obuah, however, noted that despite shortfalls, they all deserved a pat on their backs as the harsh economic realities, coupled with the scarcity of petroleum products, had impacted adversely on businesses.

He charged those contractors who are not doing so well to sit up as the Agency would no longer tolerate indolent service providers.

“I am warning you well ahead of time so you will not come back to say I did not warn you,” he said, adding that only service providers with proven sense of diligence and dedication would have their contracts renewed after the three months grace.

The Sole Administrator of RIWAMA reiterated his earlier stance not to bring in politics or sentiments into his job in RIWAMA, stressing that the job of cleaning the state should be the collective responsibility of all service providers and not to be left for an individual.

The RIWAMA boss noted that the job of cleaning the State is akin to oil which if a finger is dipped into it, affects the other fingers.

“I wish to work and continue with a winning team. If one of you is not doing well in your zone, it will affect the rest of the city. So, let’s be guided by team spirit and work in reciprocation of the enormous resources which Governor Wike is expending to make Rivers State clean,” he said.

It was not all knocks for erring service providers as the Sole Administrator announced automatic one-year contract extension for two firms who by estimation had performed creditably well in keeping their zones clean.

The two companies which won the heart of the RIWAMA boss in discharge of their jobs were Frakon Associates and Fusicap Nigeria Limited.

But it was bad news for people who still take pleasure in indiscriminate dumping of waste in the streets of Port Harcourt and its environs as the Agency has appointed Messrs Sarichim Nigeria Limited in concert with a team of security agents to arrest the culprits with effect from March 1, 2018.

Against the backdrop, the Sole Administrator has warned residents and people doing business in Port Harcourt and its environs to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse and flouting of waste disposal hours, or risk arrest and prosecution.

Update news