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Relief International Africa has issued a strong warning to the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) over its recent directive designating every last Saturday of the month as a compulsory sanitation exercise day, during which movement is restricted between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. While our organization applauds RIWAMA’s commitment to keeping Rivers State clean and fostering a healthier environment, we firmly reject any unconstitutional actions that trample upon the fundamental rights of citizens.
The imposition of movement restrictions without legal backing violates the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees every citizen’s right to personal liberty and freedom of movement.
It is important to note that the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, before their lordships Sidi Dauda Bage, Biobele Abraham Georgewill, and Ogochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, all Justices of the Apeal Court, unequivocally declared unlawful, illegal, and unconstitutional the restriction of movement during monthly sanitation exercises by state governments. This landmark judgment followed an earlier ruling on March 16th 2015 by Hon. Justice Ibrahim Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which nullified the power of any state government or its agents to arrest citizens for moving during such exercises.
The courts have made it abundantly clear that no state government or agency has the authority to curtail the constitutional rights of citizens under the guise of environmental sanitation. The only lawful way to enforce compliance is through public education, community mobilization, and lawful enforcement mechanisms that do not infringe on citizens’ freedoms. Relief International Africa strongly advises RIWAMA to immediately review and reverse this policy of movement restriction. We emphasize that while environmental cleanliness is a shared responsibility, it must never be pursued through illegal and coercive means
We reiterate that our organization remains committed to working with the Rivers State Government and its agencies to promote sustainable waste management practices. However, we will not hesitate to take every necessary legal step, up to the highest court in the land, to defend the rights of the people of Rivers State against any unconstitutional directives.
The people of Rivers State deserve a clean environment and their fundamental freedoms — one must not come at the expense of the other.
Ambassador Green Isaac
Executive Director
