In a bid to ensure a clean and conducive environment for residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has taken step to compel tenement owners pay for services rendered to them, the board's director Mr. Kenneth Okafor has said

Okafor who disclosed this yesterday during a cleanup exercise of illegal structures at Wuse zone 3 area of the capital territory said the board has made efforts to revive the activities of contractors stating that six departments have been designated to work and ensure that environmental activities are enforced. According to him, the major challenge hindering the progress of the board is that residents who are supposed to pay back are not doing so. "We have sent bills the residents and what they owe is in the tune of about N1.5 billion, we are actually telling people that they should pay their waste bills or face prosecution".

"We are going to do a lot of things to get our money back. We need money to pay the contractors we are paying them 50 percent more than we use to pay them before. People should do something and help us to continue to keep Abuja clean.

"There are government ministries, plazas, residents. Some many have confided in us that they have gotten their bills while others are claiming it has not reached them. Most often, we give to security men and at times they misplace them," he stated and urged Abuja residents to join hands with the board in the efforts to keep Abuja clean.