The Kwara State government will from next month begin the testing of vehicles for gaseous emission.

This is an effort geared towards mitigating the challenges of climate change, the Environment and Forestry Commissioner, Mr Samuel Bamisaye, has said.

Accordingly, the commissioner has been meeting with stakeholders to enlighten them on the programme as well as other proposed activities of his ministry.

The commissioner gave hints about the test at a meeting with members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) as well as their counterpart in the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Ilorin, the state capital.

Praising the two unions for their continued support for the government, Bamisaiye stressed the need for them to co-operate with the government over the new move.

He said the move was needed to realise positive environmental changes that will help to improve livelihood.

The commissioner disclosed that certificates and stickers would be issued twice a year to individuals whose vehicles meet the standard regulations on gaseous emission control. He noted that emissions from generators and vehicles as well as the dumping of refuse in wrong places contribute hazards to the environment and people living in it.

At another meeting with executive members of the Association of Hotel Owners in the state, Bamisaiye demanded support for the implementation of commercialised waste collection and fumigation of hotels. He explained that the aim is to eradicate illegal dumping of refuse and for pest control in Kwara.

He said the time has come for the commercialisation of waste management for effective implementation and more rigorous adherence to the rules on environmental sanitation, which has kept the state clean since 2003 when the government introduced its clean and green programme.

The commissioner also explained that the introduction of commercial services in the waste collection sector will help to reduce the incidence of indiscriminate dumping of refuse by unregistered waste collectors who always dump their wastes in unauthorised places.