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By John Amaowoh
Over five thousand young men and youths have kicked against the ban on the activities of cart pushers on the streets of Port Harcourt and its environs by the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA).
The cart pushers, who are mostly Northerners youths, have called on the Rivers State Government to reconsider action as the ban has so far greatly impacted negatively on their livelihood and families, expressing worry that the situation may force some of them to venture into areas that they had never thought about to before.
Speaking to our correspondent in Port Harcourt, South South, Nigeria, a leader of the group, Association of Scrap Dealers, Alkasim Yusuf, who is also the vice chairman of the body, said the action by the state government agency was negatively affecting them, but that they are appealing to the government to rescind the enforcement on the ban so as to give room for dialogue and a way forward, since the situation is one that concerns the livelihood of Nigerians.
Yusuf, who maintained that since the ban was pronounced most of their members had started relocating from the state, while some of their family members are now currently going through hardship and lack of money as a result, called on well-meaning Nigerians to join them in appealing to the state government to reconsider the ban.
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) under the leadership of Bro. Felix Obuah, gave the order for cart pushers to leave the streets and roads of the capital, Port Harcourt and its environ. The state RIWAMA boss further gave the deadline for this as February 17, 2020.
Obuah who renewed the warning while addressing of some the cart pushers in Port Harcourt, explained that the ban became necessary as their activities had become a nuisance and was turning some areas into eyesore with indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the streets and roads.
But Sani Ibrahim, also a Northern youth and executive member of one of the Northern associations, described RIWAMA’s action at this point in time as a huge mistake because there was no consultation before the action.
“I think the action of the government is a great mistake. There was no consultation. How do you just wake up and send thousands of families to a hard situation. Does he want us to go and steal,” Ibrahim asked.
He described some the allegations leveled against them by the government agency as totally untrue but a blackmail to smear their image. “The allegation is untruth. We are even helping government to keep the state clean. We pick condemned cartons, irons and what have you. We are hardworking people and not as we are referred to,” he stressed.
Ibrahim said they will keep appealing to the government to reconsider their action, adding that the issue is quiet disturbing and impacting negatively against their individual families. “We are not going to fight government. We keep on appealing to them.
“The point for contention is not there; those in the business particularly around the railway along D/Line are over one thousand able body youths. Some of us were born into the business, so tell me, what does the government want us to do now,” he asked.