By Gom Mirian
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has said it cannot perform its role of enforcing sanitary standards in restaurants because it is not a spirit that can be everywhere.
The board made this statement in response to concerns raised by residents about the increasing number of unhygienic food vendors and makeshift restaurants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the officer in charge of the Environmental Health and Safety Department, Mrs Kate Ogbonna Ocheze, who blamed rising number of unsanitary restaurants on “poverty mindset of Nigerians,” the board has limited resources and cannot monitor every food vendor or restaurant in the city.
She said: “Nigerians always talk about poverty, so they prefer to eat in such places. The AEPB cannot be everywhere to prevent people from dining in unhygienic locations since it is not a spirit entity. However, if people stop patronising these food vendors, they won’t return, and the problem will be resolved.”
The growing number of unkempt food sellers and improvised eateries in Abuja has alarmed many residents. They encouraged the AEPB to take more steps to guarantee that these businesses are closed since they endanger public health.
