Port Harcourt as capital of the South-South has come under attack for refuse all over the city. Hope, however, seems to surge back as the Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, has indicated interest in the fight.
The real estate success strategist and major supporter of the Rivers State government has teamed up with Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) to improve the sanitation level of the Garden City.
Most citizens have continued to cry out of rising refuse dumps across the Garden City as many beaches and play areas have been overtaken by refuse heaps and dumps.
Now, the Mayor of Housing and the RIWAMA authorities have agreed on construction of receptacles at strategic locations in the Garden City for the erection/construction of waste collection point to forestall the dumping of refuge on the roads.
At a meeting held on September 23, 2026 in Port Harcourt, it was agreed to get more refuse collection centres.
A statement that rang out of the meeting said as part of efforts to keep Port Harcourt clean and restore its Garden City status, the RIWAMA was to collaborate with the Mayor of Housing to build more standard refuse collection centres across the city.
According to a statement from the RIWAMA media unit, Ibimina Wokoma, the Managing Director of RIWAMA, received the Mayor of Housing and his team in his office in Port Harcourt.
The statement added that the meeting centred on constructing more collection centres to put an end to the growing trend of dumping refuse on road medians across Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City.
‘You will recall that RIWAMA has always maintained that road median dumping is an offence. The Agency has also deployed enforcement officers across the city, but many residents and informal waste workers have continued to ignore the warning’, the statement emphasized.
It was agreed that the available bins and receptacles were no longer enough to serve the growing population, following the rapid development and expansion happening across the state. ‘The planned construction of new standard centres is expected to address this.’
Speaking during the visit, China said he is passionate about restoring the beauty of Port Harcourt.
According to him, as part of his vision to project Rivers State as a top tourism destination in the world, there is every need to support the waste management system.
‘The rate at which people dump refuse on the middle of the road is alarming. We can create proper places where refuse can be dumped and evacuated as and when due, so that businesses can thrive and we can sustain a healthy environment,’ he said.
China, who is a leading entrepreneur in Africa, further disclosed that his new project, the Alesa Highlands Sustainable Green Smart City, would model the Garden City of a new dream, ‘Where waste segregation and recycling will be fully practiced.’
He promised that it would be one of the best estates to live in Nigeria, and also promised to support RIWAMA in its massive sensitization drive across the state.
Responding, Wokoma said RIWAMA has already built several receptacles across the city and was working to build more. He added that collaborations with private organizations and institutions like the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education have already produced some receptacles, while more were still ongoing.
He said the Agency welcomed such partnerships because waste management was everybody’s business and its effect touches all persons.
‘As the State Government is expanding the city with major infrastructure, there is more development, more people are coming in and more waste is being generated. So having good collaborations like this will go a long way in supporting government’s efforts,’ Wokoma said.
The first phase of the construction would commence in a few days and will spread across the city, the statement added.
Residents were advised to look out for the Green and Blue coloured RIWAMA waste collection points around major streets and desist from dumping refuse on the median.
Also in attendance were, Cosmos Okoro, RIWAMA Director of Administration and Human Resources; Harry S. Henry, Head, Media and Advocacy; Godwin Njoku who accompanied the Mayor of Housing.