RIWAMA Warns Waste Contractors In Port Harcourt: Clean Up Or Face Sanction

The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) has warned waste service providers and street sweepers in Port Harcourt against delays in refuse evacuation, threatening sanctions for those who fail to keep their assigned areas clean.

The Managing Director of RIWAMA, Dr Ibimina Wokoma, gave the warning during an emergency meeting with service providers at the agency’s conference hall in Port Harcourt on November 5, 2026.

According to The Port City News, Dr Wokoma said the agency would no longer tolerate unattended refuse, indiscriminate dumping, or delays in waste collection across roads, streets, and public spaces in the state.

He announced plans to establish a Strategic Intervention Team to handle waste that regular compactors cannot evacuate, including construction debris, tyres, plastics, wood, and metals.

He explained that the team would operate as a rapid response unit to support existing waste contractors and ensure prompt removal of refuse across Port Harcourt and its environs.

He reiterated that any contractor or sweeper who fails to comply with the agency’s new operational directives would face sanctions.

The warning comes as residents continue to complain about heaps of refuse at major junctions and road medians in Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas.

Also read One Month After, Flood Still Inside Port Harcourt Compounds — Residents Cry For Help

RIWAMA currently runs 71 refuse collection zones daily, with more than 400 waste receptacles across Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor.

Residents have been advised to dispose of their refuse at designated receptacles between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., and to patronise only agency-approved waste contractors.

The agency has also warned residents against handing their waste to cart pushers in the morning, saying public cooperation is necessary to restore Port Harcourt’s status as the Garden City.

The sanitation drive also has a security angle. On September 14, 2026, Dr Wokoma led a top management team of RIWAMA to the Police Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, to secure backing from the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, in the fight against indiscriminate refuse dumping.

The Commissioner of Police said indiscriminate dumping is not only an environmental offence but also a security and public health threat, noting that refuse heaps block roads, hide criminals, and endanger residents.

RIWAMA said enforcement teams, working in collaboration with the police, have begun clamping down on defaulters.

Meanwhile, a waste contractor, Ian Gobo, appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to fulfil his promise of increasing payments to service providers to enable them to work effectively.

Donjoe Media has not independently confirmed the date the Strategic Intervention Team will begin operation.

Residents with photos of uncollected refuse in their area can send them to Donjoe Media via WhatsApp on +2348037998382 for verification.

By Jonadab Oluikpe
Published by Donjoe Media