Okowa celebrates World Environment Day, arrests petrol station owners for breaking government seal

&NewLine;<p>Executive governor of Delta State&comma; Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2020 World Environment Day&period; It held at the Asaba International Airport&period; This year’s  theme  is &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Time for nature&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Okowa&comma; who was represented at the occasion by the Secretary to the State Government&comma; Mr Chiedu Ebie&comma; said that the theme of the celebration cannot be more timely than now&comma; adding that the world is facing different &nbsp&semi;environmental Problems&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>He called on the people to take environmental Issues more seriously&comma; stressing that a good environment enhanced good health&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Okowa also called on the people to make sure that the issue of tree planting would be upper most issue in whatever they do in life&comma; explaining that the world presently faces shortage of oxygen&comma; which is the basic thing that sustains us here on Earth&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>According to the governor&comma; without trees&comma; the earth would go extinct&period; Every single tree cut down should be replaced with not less than five planted ones&comma; promising &nbsp&semi;government’s&nbsp&semi; continuous &nbsp&semi;assistance &nbsp&semi;in bringing about an improved and better Environment for the citizens of the state&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The Commissioner of Environment&comma; Hon&period; Christian Onogba said life cannot exist here on earth without trees&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Meanwhile&comma; three petrol station business owners have been arrested in the capital territory&comma; Asaba for breaking the Delta State Government seal on their business premises&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The Area Planning Officer and Secretary of the &OpenCurlyQuote;Delta State Operation Show Your Building Plan Taskforce’&comma; Mr&period; Nath Osanebi revealed that the lawless act was discovered during a recent monitoring exercise on sealed-up business outlets by the Team of the Taskforce in Asaba&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>According to him&comma; the business premises of the arrested persons had earlier been sealed-up for failure to submit their approved building plans and other title documents to the Area and Zonal Planning Officer in the Ministry of Lands and Surveys within a two-week stipulated period for verification from the day of service&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Mr&period; Osanebi expressed displeasure at the fact that almost a month after the service of verification and subsequent reminder notices issued&comma; they failed to respond to the directive&comma; but instead broke the Government seal&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The Taskforce Secretary who described the condemnable activity as a serious offence reiterated Government’s resolve to kick to the curbs lawless behaviours from citizens&comma; especially business operators who supposedly should be law abiding&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Expressing optimism that the action of the arrests would serve as deterrent to others&comma; he advised property developers to desist from contravening the law to prevent mishaps against humanity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;