The Abia State Government has expressed serious concern over the growing presence of cattle roaming freely through the streets of Umuahia, the state capital, describing the situation as unsightly, unacceptable, and a threat to the government’s efforts in urban sanitation and orderliness.
Speaking to journalists at his Umuahia office, the Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Umuahia Zone, Catechist Ambrose Jonah, said the state government is alarmed by the unchecked activities of herders whose cattle now trespass into sensitive government areas, including the premises of the Government House.
“Sometime ago, I called the CSO (Chief Security Officer) and I complained about this to him,” Jonah said.
“To the extent that some of these cows pass through the Government House. It’s a shock. Something like this is not supposed to happen in a state like Nigeria.”
Jonah emphasized that ASEPA, in collaboration with relevant authorities, is taking steps to halt the trend and ensure the enforcement of laws already in place against open grazing within city limits.
“We cannot continue to tolerate a situation where cows roam freely across major roads and government facilities. It is an eyesore,” he said.
“We have laws already in place against open grazing, but unfortunately, enforcement has been poor. We are now working to change that.”
He further revealed that he intends to escalate the matter to the highest level of state authority. “By the special grace of God, I will be sending a memo to the governor, just to seek his opinion,” he said.
“I have also spoken to our AG, the Attorney General. There should be a law prohibiting some of these things. There are designated areas for grazing, and certainly not within city limits.”
Jonah stressed that the roaming cattle undermine the significant progress the state has made in urban environmental sanitation.
He praised Governor Alex Otti for what he described as a transformative environmental policy since assuming office in May 2023.
“When we came on board, the state was something else — known for two things: bad roads and dirty environments,” he stated.
“But through the quick intervention of the governor, Dr. Alex Otti, who declared a state of emergency in the sanitation sector, things began to change.”
According to him, ASEPA has made significant strides in waste management and urban cleanliness over the past two years.
“Cleaning the environment is not the most important thing,” Jonah noted, “but sustaining it is. And I think the governor has been doing well in that regard.”
He detailed some of the support received from the Otti administration to strengthen environmental enforcement and waste management efforts.
“We now have payloaders, compactors, roll-offs, and even keke pickups. In the Umuahia Zone alone, we have about 15 of these keke buses. They go into areas the bigger trucks can’t access to evacuate waste effectively.”
Jonah urged residents to remain vigilant and support government efforts to keep the capital city clean and orderly.
“Everyone has a role to play — from residents to herders and security agencies. We want a modern, clean, and secure Umuahia. Let’s all work towards that.”
