By Debby Lanta, Jos
For many families in Jos North on Saturday morning, the monthly environmental sanitation exercise was more than a government routine. It was a reminder that the fight against disease, flooding, and environmental neglect starts just outside their front doors.
Officials of the Plateau State Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) moved through communities including Gadan Bako, Nasarawa Filing Ball, Kongo-Russia, and Yan Tire Junction, inspecting homes, clearing blocked drainages, removing environmental hazards, and enforcing sanitation laws through a mobile court.
While many residents had swept and cleaned the interiors of their homes, inspectors found a different reality outside. Drainages clogged with refuse, illegal kiosks built over water channels, and accumulated waste painted a picture of a community still struggling to understand that public health extends beyond private compounds.
Representing the Director-General of PEPSA, Samuel Dapiya, the Agency’s Director of Administration, Mr. Izang Pate, described the findings as worrying.
He noted that although household cleanliness had improved in many areas, neglected surroundings continued to pose serious health risks.
According to him, blocked drainages create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and increase the likelihood of cholera, malaria, and other preventable diseases, especially during the rainy season.
His message to residents was simple but urgent: environmental cleanliness should become a daily lifestyle rather than a once-a-month obligation.
The sanitation team also expressed concern over kiosks and makeshift structures erected directly on drainage channels. Besides obstructing the free flow of water, the structures contribute to flooding whenever heavy rains occur.
At Yan Tire Junction, a payloader worked for hours removing large heaps of construction sand that had washed into drainages, worsening flash floods experienced in parts of the city.
Despite repeated public announcements restricting movement during sanitation hours, officials observed many businesses operating normally, particularly in Gadan Bako and Nasarawa Filing Ball. The violations prompted the Mobile Sanitation Court, led by Chief Magistrate Hon. Yop Hannatu Ahoms, to prosecute offenders on the spot.
By the end of the exercise, 22 people had been convicted and fined for violating environmental sanitation regulations.
The magistrate stressed that stronger enforcement remains necessary if residents continue to ignore sanitation laws designed to protect the wider community.
Yet amid the enforcement, there were also voices calling for partnership rather than punishment.
A resident of Kongo-Russia, Muslim Sa’ad, applauded the Agency’s thorough inspection but appealed for greater involvement of community members in future sanitation campaigns.
He believes residents are more likely to protect their environment when they are treated as active partners rather than passive observers.
His comment reflects a growing understanding that lasting environmental change cannot be achieved by government alone. Sustainable cleanliness depends on neighbourhood participation, responsible waste disposal, and collective ownership of public spaces.
As Plateau State continues its efforts to build a cleaner, healthier, and more flood-resilient environment, Saturday’s exercise highlighted an important truth: a clean home means little if the gutter outside remains blocked.
The monthly sanitation exercise may last only a few hours, but the responsibility to protect lives through a clean environment belongs to every resident, every day.
