Anambra Trains 200 New OCHA Brigade Personnel to Strengthens Cleanliness Campaign

Members of Ocha Brigade on training

The Anambra State Government, through the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade, has commenced a comprehensive training programme for 200 newly recruited personnel.

This initiative aims to bolster the state’s capacity to enforce environmental laws and ensure a clean and healthy living environment across all communities.

The training is currently undergoing at the OCHA training camp in Isiagu and is expected to last for one month.

The new recruits were carefully selected from all 21 local government areas of the state, including non-indigenes, in a bid to ensure inclusiveness and adequate representation across the state.

Speaking to journalists at the training camp, the Managing Director of the OCHA Brigade, Mr. Celestine Anere, explained that the decision to recruit additional personnel was approved by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to address the growing need for increased manpower in enforcing environmental sanitation laws in the state.

“The governor has deemed it necessary to strengthen the OCHA Brigade with additional personnel to effectively enforce laws that promote a clean and healthy environment. The agency is statutorily mandated to maintain environmental order, and we are taking that responsibility seriously,” Mr. Anere said.

He emphasized that Governor Soludo remains committed to the health and well-being of Anambra residents and is not taking environmental issues lightly.

“These individuals were selected from across the 21 local government areas, including both indigenes and non-indigenes. The diversity ensures that every part of the state is well covered,” he noted.

Addressing the importance of continuous staff development, Mr. Anere recalled that last year, the agency organized a retraining session for existing staff at the NYSC orientation camp. This is part of an ongoing effort to equip personnel with updated knowledge and skills necessary for effective enforcement.

“We believe in ongoing training. After these 200 new recruits complete their programme and are deployed to their respective posts, we will begin the retraining of the existing staff in a second batch. We can’t bring everyone together at the same time due to logistics, so the training is being done in phases,” he explained.

He appealed to residents of Anambra State (ndi Anambra) to support the OCHA Brigade’s mission, stressing that the agency will be more serious and intentional in its enforcement drive going forward.

“This is no longer going to be business as usual. We are stepping up enforcement, and we expect full cooperation from the public,” he stated.

Mr. Anere also issued a stern warning to the newly recruited personnel, emphasizing that the agency maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards indiscipline.

Any act of misconduct, he said, will attract immediate dismissal.

“You see, we brought in trainers from the military, the police, and academics from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University. These experts are training the recruits on discipline, conduct, and the scope of their responsibilities. Let me be clear: we have zero tolerance for indiscipline. Any personnel caught engaging in misconduct will be instantly dismissed no second chances,” he added.

The OCHA Brigade’s renewed effort aligns with the state government’s broader environmental agenda and is expected to significantly enhance the cleanliness and public health standards across Anambra.