Residents of Ogun State are gripped with fear of a cholera outbreak following plans by waste management operators to suspend waste evacuation services due to unfavorable government policies and poor working conditions. The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria had earlier raised an alarm over a looming environmental and public health crisis if Governor Dapo Abiodun fails to urgently address challenges in the waste disposal sector.
Association's Concerns
The association, in a statement signed by its state chairman, Pastor Jolaoluwa Emmanuel Gbenga, accused the governor and the Ogun State Waste Management Authority of implementing policies that have pushed many operators to the brink of collapse. The group stated that ongoing delays in settling approved waste management invoices have severely disrupted operations, with contractors reportedly receiving only 25 to 50 percent of the amounts due to them. These funding gaps have hindered operators from fulfilling essential responsibilities such as paying staff salaries, maintaining equipment, and purchasing diesel, ultimately undermining efficient waste management services across the state.
Residents' Plight
A visit by our correspondent to several parts of Abeokuta, including Kuto, Panseke, Totoro, Oke-Sokori, Oke-Ilewo, Itoku, and Saje, revealed that many residents routinely dump refuse along roadsides and on road medians, particularly during late-night hours or early morning before daily activities commence. In interviews, residents appealed to the state government to urgently meet the demands of waste managers to ensure quick evacuation of waste and prevent a cholera outbreak.
Market Traders' Woes
A fruit dealer at Kuto Market, Mrs. Rashidat Popoola, lamented the bad odour from a waste bin at the market, urging waste managers not to stop services. She stated that the foul smell had significantly reduced patronage, as customers often held their noses when approaching her stall. “The waste managers should please not stop operations because this heap of waste at the market, which has not been evacuated for over three weeks, has chased away customers. People dump refuse from homes, hotels, hospitals, and even passing cars. The government should find solutions for quick evacuation,” she said.
Kuto market leader Comrade Saheed Oyewusi urged waste managers not to put public health at risk, expressing concern that delayed evacuation had reduced patronage. He appealed to the state government to create a task force to address indiscriminate refuse disposal and provide a standby truck for prompt collection. “We are begging the waste managers to perish the idea of stopping work, or do they want people to contract cholera? The waste should not stay for three weeks before evacuation. The government should also create a task force for enforcement and place a standby truck for speedy evacuation,” he said.
An Indomie and egg seller at Oke-Sokori, Mrs. Folashade Yusuf, urged waste managers not to shut down operations, insisting that the city would be filled with odour and the results would be dangerous to human health. She appealed to the government to meet with waste managers and consider their demands, stressing that the heap of waste in front of her stall had reduced patronage. “Some people come at night between 10 pm and 11 pm and dump refuse, and by the time those who evacuate come, everywhere smells. If the managers stop operations, it will affect people's health. Since people started dumping, my sales have dropped because of the bad smell. Most customers are not coming anymore, and they complain about the smell. This is really affecting my business,” she said.
Different Perspectives
At Panseke, the manager of Lucid Vision Global, Mr. Jude Chukwuka, lauded the government's efforts in ensuring a cleaner environment but blamed the public for indiscriminate dumping. He urged the government to fence off the dumpsite with a rope to prevent illegal dumping and establish a task force to monitor the area and apprehend offenders. “The truth is that the government is doing its best. About two or three times, you see vehicles come to pack the waste, but our people dump indiscriminately. Some people drive by and throw refuse from their cars, while others come at night. There was a time two people were assigned to chase away dumpers, but after some time they disappeared. We try to sanitize our environment. If we pack the refuse today, in two days it is filled up. What the government should do is arrest some people and use them as examples,” he noted.
At Iyana-Adigbe, Mrs. Florence John, who sells bread and bean cake along the roadside, complained about the heap of waste dumped by residents under the walking bridge in front of her stall. She said people abuse her when she cautions them. She lamented that customers could not withstand the odour, forcing her to build a net around her stall to stop flies from perching on the food. She warned that failure to tackle indiscriminate dumping could trigger a cholera outbreak, especially affecting children, and urged the government to arrest and punish offenders. “I was surprised how people throw refuse under the bridge. The refuse is close to my stall, and the flies and odour affect my business. Sometimes customers hold their noses while trying to patronize me or walk away. I have tried to complain, but it always results in a fight. Some people come with their cars and dump refuse there. The government should arrest one or two people to serve as a lesson,” she said.
Another fruit seller at Oke-Ilewo, Umaru Muhammad, lamented that his business had suffered since people began dumping refuse in front of his stall. Customer patronage dropped significantly because flies from the waste settle on his fruits, and the offensive odour discourages customers. “I want the state government to stop people from dumping refuse there because the place is not a dumping site. Anytime the evacuators don't come on time, flies from the waste perch on my fruits. I have told my landlord, but despite his efforts, people don't stop. The bad smell has chased away most of my customers,” he noted.
At Itoku Market, food seller Anike Saanu expressed concern about indiscriminate dumping beside the flyover bridge at the market, noting that those who dump are not market people but members of the public. She said she had to cover her stall with a net to prevent flies from settling on her food, and called on the government to arrest offenders. She lost a few customers before constructing the net, but the odour sometimes makes customers uncomfortable, and some ask for their food in takeaway plastics. “We don't even know the people who dump refuse there, but by the time we come in the morning, we see a heap of waste beside the bridge. The odour has become unbearable, and I want the government to set up a task force to start arresting those dumping. I have lost a few customers before I built a net around my stall. Some customers who cannot sit to eat prefer their food packed in takeaway plastics because of the smell. This is really affecting not only me but other sellers at the market,” Saanu added.
