The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), in partnership with environmental advocacy group Health, Environment and You (HEY), has launched the Clean Rivers Initiative Campaign aimed at promoting a cleaner and greener Rivers State.
The programme, themed “Driving Sustainable Waste Management and the Circular Economy for a Cleaner and Greener Rivers State,” seeks to safeguard the environment, protect public health, create jobs, and transform waste into economic value through improved waste management practices.
Speaking during the launch on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, in Port Harcourt, Managing Director of RIWAMA, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, said the agency’s strategy focuses on two key areas: treating waste management as a social service while gradually transitioning to waste-to-wealth initiatives.
He explained that RIWAMA has engaged contractors responsible for waste evacuation and street sweeping, noting that the initiative has already generated employment opportunities for over 1,000 people through sanitation operations.
According to him, the agency currently operates 72 refuse collection zones across Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas, where residents are expected to bag their waste and dispose of it at designated receptacles between 6p.m. and 10p.m., after which evacuation contractors collect the waste overnight.
Wokoma, however, expressed concern over indiscriminate waste disposal and the activities of informal waste collectors, urging residents to patronise only authorised private waste service providers and adhere strictly to approved disposal practices.
He added that RIWAMA is strengthening public sensitisation, customer service engagement, and enforcement measures to improve compliance and ensure effective waste management across its operational areas.
Environmental expert and President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Professor Olu Andah Wai-Oguso, called for comprehensive waste generation surveys across estates, hotels, schools, markets, and motor parks in Port Harcourt to support data-driven planning.
He emphasised the need for behavioural change, improved environmental education, and stronger collaboration among regulators, communities, and stakeholders to achieve sustainable sanitation outcomes. He also pledged support to RIWAMA’s efforts to reposition waste management in the state.
Convener of Health, Environment and You, Kelvin Maximus, described the Clean Rivers Initiative as a practical intervention focused on environmental responsibility, economic empowerment through recycling, and community participation in environmental protection.
He said the initiative will promote mass literacy on sustainable waste management, build capacity for circular economy practices, minimise waste generation at source, create green jobs, and enhance public health safety while positioning Rivers State among Nigeria’s cleanest states.
Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr. Betty Agala, stressed the link between environmental cleanliness and public health, noting that many illnesses treated in hospitals are associated with poor sanitation.
She reaffirmed the agency’s readiness to collaborate with stakeholders to improve environmental health and ensure a cleaner Rivers State.
