FROM BROOMS TO BIG MACHINES: HOW ENUGU IS MECHANISING CLEANLINESS

Cleanliness, they say, is next to godliness but in Enugu today, it is also next to policy, planning, and powerful machines.

On this edition of our Morning Show Discussion Segment, we turn the spotlight on waste management in Enugu State and the deliberate steps being taken to sustain the city’s growing reputation as one of Nigeria’s cleanest urban spaces. Joining the conversation is Richard Onaga, Managing Director of the Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA), as we unpack recent developments in environmental sanitation across the state.

Months after Enugu earned national recognition from the First Lady of Nigeria as the cleanest state in the country, residents raised a clear demand: modern equipment to keep the city clean and keep standards high. The response came swiftly. The Enugu State Government, through the Ministry of Environment, has now unveiled new mechanised street-sweeping trucks, signaling a transition from manual methods to technology-driven sanitation.

These newly deployed machines are designed to cover more ground, clean more efficiently, and reduce the physical strain on sanitation workers—while ensuring that major roads, inner streets, and public spaces remain spotless. Beyond aesthetics, the initiative speaks to public health, environmental sustainability, and the economics of running a modern city.

In this discussion, we explore what the equipment rollout means for daily waste collection, urban hygiene, job structure within ESWAMA, and the long-term strategy behind Enugu’s “Keep Enugu Clean” campaign. More importantly, we ask the critical questions: How do you maintain cleanliness after the awards? How do you scale sanitation for a growing city? And how do government policy and citizen responsibility meet in the middle?

As Enugu continues to brand itself as a smart, livable, and people-focused city, waste management is no longer a background service, it is front and centre in the conversation about urban governance.

This is more than a cleanup story. It is a lesson in listening to the people, investing in solutions, and turning environmental pride into everyday practice.

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