CRS Env. Ministry Steps up Sanitation Activities During Carnival Calabar, Yuletide Celebration .... Shuts Down Cross-over Market at 8miles
Hannah ARIKPO
As part of preparations for the Carnival Calabar and Christmas festivities, the Commissioner of Environment, Hon. Obol Moses Osogi has disclosed the ministry's renewed plans to accommodate the anticipated influx of visitors throughout the thirty-two days of Carnival Calabar and Yuletide Celebration.
Hon. Osogi who made the announcement while briefing Newsmen shortly after monitoring the November' 2025 sanitation exercise in Calabar, explained that the Environmental taskforce will resume both daily and weekly routine monitoring and supervision to ensure members of the public keep their environment clean.
"In Cross River state, cleanliness is our culture, an attitude that flows in the blood. Next week, the Environment taskforce will swing into action, desilt drainages, dismantle illegal structures as well as general cleaning throughout the Yuletide period."
The team was at the Asi-Abang Abattoir and Esuk Utang all in Calabar municipality, where several arrests were made including the Chairman of Asi-Abang Abattoir due to non-compliance to the sanitation exercise.
As the supervision progressed, the leader of the team, Hon Osogi dismantled and announced the closure of the Cross Over daily market located along the Murtala Mohammed highway, stating "the practice of selling along the road, occupying major parts of the highway negates environmental laws and is not acceptable."
He described the market as a timing bomb because a vehicle could possibly experience brake failure which may result in a fatal accident and vowed to shut down illegal markets in the metropolis.
Some affected traders lamented the government decision of halting business operations at the market, saying, it's their only means of livelihood.
On the over all exercise, the Environment Boss, Osogi scored residents of the Calabar municipality high as the level of compliance superceds that of the previous month's while Calabar South performance was awesome.
