Onuoha with the bin.
A
youth corps member with the National War College, Abuja, Dr. Pascalina
Onuoha, has been honoured with a chieftaincy title by the Galadimawa
community, Abuja, for donating a bin for evacuating waste.
Until she donated the N1.6m roll bin, residents
dumped their waste by the road that leads to the community and were at
risk of an epidemic.
The optometrist was given the title, Bazhim Gbagvinu 1
(woman commander) of Galadimawa by the District head, Alhaji Musa
Barde, at a colourful ceremony attended by a large segment of the
community.
Before the bin was inaugurated, Onuoha visited the
district head and explained her plan to assist his people to manage
their waste in a more responsible and environmentally-sustainable way.
She also went round the community and spoke to the
residents about the need to keep their environment clean and dispose
their litter in a proper way.
The youth corps member told US that
she was motivated to donate by the unsanitary condition of the area,
having observed the poor manner the residents disposed their waste.
“I discovered that the community didn’t have a proper
waste management system; residents simply dumped waste at a spot by the
road and this is the fastest way to provoke an epidemic,” Onuoha said.
According to her, the residents are happy about the donation because the bin has met a major challenge in the community.
Onuoha said, “With an outside broadcasting vehicle
from Abuja Environmental Protection Board, I went around the community
on a Saturday and enlightened the people on the need to keep their
environment clean and the importance of proper waste management.
“The youths joined me to evacuate the waste into the
roll bin and everyone was happy because the bin has solved a major
problem of the people.”
On how she raised the fund for the bin, the
Galadimawa chief explained that she got financial support from the
Ecology fund office, Abuja; Chika & Co. Limited and a few other
private firms also donated to the project.
The ‘woman commander of Galadimawa’ said she saw the
title as a responsibility to do more for the people, adding that her
future plan was to set up a non-governmental organisation through which
she could touch lives.
Onuoha also distributed 50 pieces of clothes to
widows as well as five mosquito nets and 150 exercise books to pupils of
LEA Primary School, Galadimawa.
