JMDB and PEPSA: A Partnership that is working for the Good of Plateau Citizens

Governance in Nigeria is always an interesting adventure, especially when service delivery to the people is at the core of the mandate. This is the expectation of leaders and followers in every democracy. This expectation are usually met with a number of challenges, chief of which is Inter-Agency Rivalries. Nigerians have witnessed this ugly trend between the Military and the Police, between the Police and the Department of State Services etc. these rivalries have prevented effective service delivery to the people who have always been at the receiving end.

In Plateau State, the story is becoming different as collaborations between and within Government Agencies is growing stronger. One for the pairs that have redefined partnership in governance is the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) and the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), led by Mr Samuel Dapiya and Arch Hart Bankat respectively. Despite having similar mandates or even overlapping responsibilities, both agencies have forged a symbiotic relationship that is so far working excellently well in keeping the Jos-Bukuru Metropolis Clean and Organized.

Speaking at the ‘Time is Now Stewardship’ Accountability Town Hall Organized by the Office of the Directorate of Research, Government House held on Saturday 6th April 2024 at the PRTV Studios in Rayfield, Jos, the General Manager of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) Arch Hart Bankat disclosed the efforts his agency is making in organizing the Jos-Bukuru Metropolis and how through collaboration and partnership with PEPSA and other sister agencies enforcement of the Executive Order No. 3 succeeded within just 3 Hours.

“When we came here, we promised Plateau people one thing, that plateau is going to be beautiful. And I can assure you that with the spirit behind this drive, we are going to do everything possible to bring Plateau State back to a modern city.”

“We are trying our possible best to see that people don’t just see us as terrorists. That is why while we are doing that, we are also enlightening people and developing other areas. I’m sure we are trying to simplify the processes for you to get approvals. We have put in place GIS systems whereby we don’t have to go to your site to check from the office. We can check your site to see whether it is vacant. Whether you are lying to us or whether you are trying to deceive us, we are trying to get everything on coordinates.”

“And I am sure in partnership with Ministry of Lands and Survey, we will get to synergize and then we’ll link it up with PLAGIS so that the moment you go for your land titles, which is another critical point, we need to enlighten people about getting a title from lands and survey is not an approval to build. A lot of people mistake getting titles from lands and approval as an approval to go ahead and build before you dig or excavate the ground. Our advice is, seek approval from JMDB because after you excavate the ground, there’s a penalty for it. It starts from excavation down to foundation down to lintel.”

“And fortunately enough for us, after a lot of engagements and advocacy with stakeholders, we got to understand a lot of loopholes. That was why we approached the Ministry of Justice, who were gracious enough for us to draft an executive order for us that was graciously signed by his Excellency to see to the full implementation of the Jos Metropolitan Board mandate to its highest potentials in the last one week. I can assure you, what was not done in over eight years was done in 3 hours by synergy between JMDB, PEPSA and other sister agencies.”

Corroborating this collaboration, the Director General of PEPSA, Mr Samuel Dapiya, while giving account of his 43 days old stewardship as the Chief Executive of PEPSA  emphasized the importance of his agency’s work in the State, while also highlighting the efforts made so far. He stressed that with his agency’s collaboration with JMDB and other agencies, more success was recorded.

“I am just 43 days old. Some of our here Leaders have given most of the elaborate presentations. But I resumed office on the 19 February this year. And the moment I resumed office on that Monday. I embarked on a proactive mission. To guarantee a clean and safe, clean, safe and protected environment in Plateau State. To also align with the vision of His Excellency Governor Caleb Mannaseh Mutfwang of having a very clean and safe plateau.”

“We conducted a thorough assessment of the current state of waste management and sanitation practices in the state generally. Most especially between Jos and Bukuru metropolis. And also to ascertain the kind of policies we have in place, infrastructure challenges, and also the opportunities there within waste management. Sadly, people used to think that PEPSA was just an agency saddled with just waste management. But it’s actually bigger than waste management.”

He noted that in Lagos State what PEPSA is currently doing has been delegated to 3 different agencies, adding that the agency is so far doing a lot already. “I just came back from Lagos yesterday. Lagos has three agencies. Which I would consider PEPSA to be three agencies in Lagos. Because you have the Environmental part of PEPSA, Environmental Protection. We also have Sanitation in PEPSA, and then we also have Waste Management in PEPSA. In Lagos. You have three different agencies actually. For managing what PEPSA is doing in Plateau States. It means we have a very huge task to do for Plateau people. So we looked at the policies around what Plateau has been doing for the past eight years. And I quickly held several meetings with my agency staff. To understand their roles and also their responsibilities. To gauge their perspective. And also understand if they actually understand what is expected of them.”

“We have a lot of work to do around behavioral change. We had a lot of work to do on awareness campaigns. Because we looked inwards. And we understood that the job of waste management was beyond government. Government cannot put all their money in waste management. So we needed our staff to understand all of that. And then we emphasized His Excellence’s vision for Waste Management, Environmental Protection and Sanitation in Plateau State, which includes exploring innovative ways and technologies for improving efficiency, sustainability, and environmental outcomes, as well as ensuring compliance within relevant regulations and guidelines. We also initiated dialogue and collaboration with key stakeholders and executed in this partnership the Executive Order Zero Three (03) alongside with JMDB, seamlessly. And I would consider that enforcement one of the successes of this administration”.

“We also developed a comprehensive action plan and strategies to achieve our established goals as an agency. We also visited some key agencies, Budget and Planning, Internal Revenue Service and Ministry of Environment to initiate the takeoff of some of our plants. We collaborated with also Plateau Riders to enhance that. Those metro buses that were purchased for platoon people are also kept very clean.”

“So I’ll call on plateau people as we use those buses and to use the beams within those buses and also he has gone ahead to have particular places, muster points as bus stops…will ensure we provide, even if not Danu bins, plastic bins within those bus stop locations so that even if you don’t have a bin in the bus, which there are, the moment you drop or you’re waiting for the next bus to come, you have a bean around you to trash the slightest waste you have. And also to disabuse the use of, you know, the trashing of things from your car windows. Which is one of the behavioral change we intend to achieve that at the end of our eight years. There will be no need for enforcement or sanitation. That people naturally will ensure that, you know, we don’t lock you up at home.”

Clearly, the successes recorded by this administration in town planning and organisation has come mainly as a result of partnership and collaboration between JMDB and PEPSA, and one of the first beneficiaries aside from Plateau people is the Plateau Express Services – the new metro buses about to be deployed; the city is already wearing a new decongested look. This should serve as guide to other Ministries, Department and Agencies in order to increase the productivity levels and results of the State.