Ogun State Waste Management Authority, OGWAMA
…As residents urges govt to meet managers demands
…as market traders laments waste odour reduce patronage
Fears of a cholera outbreak have gripped residents of Ogun State following plans by waste management operators to suspend waste evacuation services due to unfavorable government policies and poor working conditions.
Recall that that the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria raised the alarm over looming environmental and public health crisis in the state if Governor Dapo Abiodun failed to urgently address the challenges in the waste disposal sector
The Association, in a statement signed by its state chairman, Pastor Jolaoluwa Emmanuel Gbenga, had the Governor through 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.
It noted that the funding gaps have increasingly 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.
A visit by our correspondent to several parts of Abeokuta, including Kuto, Panseke, Totoro, Oke-Sokori, Oke-Ilewo, Itoku, Saje, among others, revealed that many residents routinely dump refuse along roadsides and on road medians, particularly during late-night hours or in the early morning before daily activities commence.
However, in a cross section of interview in Abeokuta, the residents appealed the the state government to urgently head to the demands of the Ogun State waste managers to ensure quick and speedy evacuation of waste around littered around the capital city to avoid outbreak of cholera.
A fruit dealer at Kuto Market, Mrs Rashidat Popoola lamented the bad odour emanating from a waste bin located at the Market, urging the waste managers not to stop waste evacuation services and the health of the public from cholera.
Popoola stated that the foul odour emanating from the waste bin had significantly reduced patronage of her fruit business, as customers often held their noses and found it difficult to tolerate the smell whenever they approached her stall to make purchases.
“The waste managers should please not stop operations because this heap of waste at the market which has not been evacuated over three weeks ago have chased away customers from patronising me. Many people took refuse from their homes, hotels, hospital even those driving by the market do throw refuse into the bin while driving. The government should find solutions for quick evacuation.” She said.
One of the Kuto market leaders, Comrade Saheed Oyewusi urged the waste managers not to put the health of the market women and men at risk, expressing concern delay in evacuation of the waste have reduced patronage at the market because people can’t withstand the odour.
Oyewusi, who is an egg dealer, appealed the state government to create task force to address indiscriminate refuse disposal at the Market , urging the government to provide a standby truck for prompt collection and evacuation of waste to prevent spread of cholera outbreak.
“We are begging the the waste managers to perish the idea of stopping work or do they want people to contact cholera? because the waste is not supposed to stay long for like three weeks before evacuation. I am just appealing to the government to find solutions to the issue because we in the market don’t want to contact cholera. The government should also create 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 the Waste Managers to not to shut down operations, insisting that if they do the city will be filled with odour of waste not being evacuated and the results would be dangerous to human health.
She appealed to the state government to meet with the leadership of the waste managers and consider their demands stressing that the heap of waste in front of her stall has reduced patronage for her as many customers could not withstand the odour.
“Some people will come at night between the hours of 10:pm to 11:pm and dump refuse there and by the time those who evacuate the waste came, everywhere will be smelling. So, if the manager stop operations that will really affect the health of people and I am begging government to listen to them.
“Since people started dumping refuse there I notice that my sales have dropped because of the bad smell coming out of there. Most of my customers are not more coming and they are complaining about the smell from the waste. This is really affecting my business,” Lawal said.
At Panseke, The Manager of Lucid Vision Global, Mr Jude Chukwuka, lauded the government efforts in ensuring a cleaner environment blaming members of the public for indiscriminate dumping of refuse across the state.
Chukwuka urged the Dapo Abiodun-led government to fence off the dumpsite with a rope to prevent people from illegally disposing of refuse there, while calling for the establishment of a task force to monitor the area and apprehend individuals involved in indiscriminate waste dumping, stressing that such measures would serve as a deterrent to others.
He said ” The truth is that the government is doing their best, I think about two or three times you see this vehicle which come to pack the waste, but you know our people with their indiscriminate dumping. Some people will just be driving around and throw refuse from the car while some will come in the night. There was a time two people were assigned around the waste dumping ground to chase people who want to dump refuse but after some time we did not see them again.
“Our own is that we try as much as possible to sanitize our environment and the gutter is not excluded. If we park the refuse today, I can assure you that in two days it is filed up. Sometimes we do the cleaning with the market women. What I think the government should do is to arrest some people and use the as examples.” he noted.
At Iyana-Adigbe, Mrs Florence John who sells bread and Akara(bean cake) along the road side complained about the heap of waste dump by residents under the walking bridge in front of her stall, stressing that people abuse her whenever she tried to caution them to stop dumping refuse in the place.
John lamented that sometimes customers could not withstand the odour from the waste and she was forced to seek the service of a carpenter to build a net around her stall to stop flies from perching on the food.
She warned that failure to urgently tackle indiscriminate refuse dumping in the state could trigger a cholera outbreak, particularly affecting the children, and urged the Ogun State Government to arrest and punish offenders to deter others.
“I was surprised how people throw refuse under the bridge, is very bad especially. This refuse is close to my stall and the flies and odour from the waste is affecting my business sometimes customers have to hold their nose while trying to patronise me or walk away because of the odour. I have tried to complain but it always resulted to fight. Infact some people will come with their cars and dump refuse there. I think the government should arrest one or two people to serve lesson for others” She said.
Another fruit Seller at Oke-Ilewo, Umaru Muhammad, lamented that his business has suffered since people began dumping refuse in front of his stall, saying that customer patronage has dropped significantly because flies from the waste often settle on his fruits, while the offensive odour has discouraged many customers from buying from him.
” I want the state government to stop people from dumping refuse there because the place is not a dumping site and anytime the people who evacuate the waste dis not come on time the flies from the waste will perch on my fruits.I have told my landlord about it but despite his efforts people did not stop coming to dump refuse there and the bad smell has chased away most of my customers.” he noted.
At Itoku Market, A food Seller, Anike Saanu, expressed concern about the indiscriminate dumping of refuse beside the flyover bridge at the market, noting that those who dumped the refuse were not market women or men but some members of the public outside the market.
Saanu said she had to cover her stall with net to prevent files from the waste from settling on her food, calling on the state government to begin to arrest offenders.
She stressed that she lost few customers before constructing the net but the odour sometimes makes the customers inconvenience to eat as some will asked for their food in take away plastics.
“We don’t even know the people who dump refuse there, but by the time we come in the morning we see heap of waste lying beside the bridge. The odour has become unbearable and I want the government to set up a taskforce to start arresting those dumping the refuse.”
“I have lost few customers before I built net around my stall to stop the flies, some customers who cannot sit to eat will prefer their food packed in take away plastics because of the smell. This is really affecting not only me but other people who sell things at the market.” Saanu added.
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