By Okey Maduforo Awka
Over 4,000 new members of the Operation Clean And Healthy Anambra Ocha Brigade were this Monday inaugurated by the state government in a bid towards enforcing environmental laws in the area.
The 4,000 Ocha Brigade members were drawn from the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU) Marshals in Awka over the weekend.
According to the Managing Director of the Ocha Brigade Chief Celestine Anere the drive to enforce environmental laws is in partnership with ASATU Marshals, will support the agency in enforcing clean and healthy environments across all 179 communities in the state.
According to Anere, it has become necessary to have an ASATU Marshal in every community to assist the agency in the fight against indiscipline, juvenile delinquency, and environmental pollution.
Anere said that the newly inaugurated ASATU Marshals have the full backing of the government to enforce environmental cleanliness laws in their respective communities, which, according to him, is the primary responsibility of Ochabrigade.
“There is a need to partner with all the Presidents-General of the 179 communities in the enforcement of environmental laws, as they are closest to the grassroots. Their proximity to the people at the grassroots level led Ochabrigade to seek collaboration with the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU). This led to the formation of the Ochabrigade-ASATU Marshals,” he said.
However, the Ochabrigade MD cautioned the marshals against taking the law into their own hands during enforcement or engaging in actions that contradict the laws establishing the agency.
According to him, any marshal found acting inappropriately would be arrested and handed over to the police.
He also stated that Ochabrigade is ready to defend any marshal at all times, as long as they operate within the confines of the law.
Anere further disclosed that the newly recruited Ochabrigade-ASATU Marshals would receive proper training and orientation on their new duties to ensure they can carry out their responsibilities effectively.
He added that Anambra’s communities must be freed from issues such as underage prostitution, illicit drug trafficking and consumption, the production of adulterated consumables, open defecation and urination, touting, and other antisocial behaviors that are detrimental to public order.
Speaking at the event, the National President of the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU), Chief Barr. Titus Nnabuike Akpudo, welcomed the development for the benefit of the state.
The ASATU National President assured that the marshals would meet with Governor Professor Charles Soludo at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka in January 2025. According to him,after the meeting, they would proceed to training and orientation to understand the requirements of their roles.
According to Akpudo, the newly established Ocha Brigade,ASATU Marshals will work closely with the Presidents-General of their respective communities to provide solutions to public concerns.
He also added that a State Task Force Team would be formed from among the marshals to prevent excesses and actions that could violate the laws empowering them to serve as agents of environmental cleanliness in Anambra communities.
