By Vivian Onyebukwa
A writer recalled how mountains of garbage were once used as landmarks to guide lost strangers to their destinations in Lagos. “Walk past the two big garbage dumps in front, by your right,” your guide would say. “Then turn left, walk past the next two dumps, the medium and the smaller ones, turn right and you will find the street you are looking for.”
With the way that garbage heaps are springing up here and there in many parts of Lagos these days, observers say if we are not already back to the old bad days, then we are definitely well on the way.
But at Ijesha in Mushin Local Government Area of the state, the worry is not about using them as landmarks, as was done in those days, to guide a confused visitor. It is about an epidemic breaking out any moment soon from the mountains of garbage dotting the area’s landscape.
Complaints against filth and LAWMA
When the reporter visited the area, garbage was seen dumped in the middle of the roads. From Cele Bus Stop, down to Ijesha on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, heaps of mounting garbage littered both sides of the road. At Ijesha Bus Stop, cows and goats could be seen having a good time, foraging for food on the heaps. But while residents are not happy with the development, most of the respondents refused to identify themselves by names for fear of victimisation. When approached, a woman who roasts corn for sale at the bus stop, wondered aloud why Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), whose statutory duty it is to do away with the garbage, had refused to perform its basic responsibility for the people of the area.
She said: “The last time they came here was two weeks ago. We paid N5, 000 each for the evacuation. In addition to this, there is a woman that comes here to collect N200 levy every Tuesday and Thursday from everyone of us that sells at this place. She said it is for the evacuation of refuse.” The woman pleaded that her photograph and name be left out of the report.
Rauf Barwa Bus Stop on the Ijesha/Lawanson Road is another eyesore. The filths here are said to be generated by both the residents and traders. The walls of Barwa Nursery and Primary School, which is close to Rauf Barwa Bus Stop, house some of the refuse. Observers warn that if not evacuated very soon, it may turn into another big refuse dump, as wastes are beginning to pile up in the area, noting that this could constitute some health hazards to everyone living around that area, including the culprits and the innocent.
At Johnson Bus Stop, on same road, one finds it difficult to cross to the other side of the road because a mound of garbage has taken over the whole place. In order to cross to the other side of the road, one has to walk far down the bus stop. In fact, for the whole stretch of the road from Pako, Oto Oba, down to Lawanson and Ojuelegba, it is the same story of filth, filth, filth everywhere, rendering the place unsightly. Even the streets in the area are not left out.
A resident, a lady who agreed to speak to Saturday Sun on the understanding that neither her name nor her photo would be used, described it as a terrible situation. She remarked: “People are just dumping refuse everywhere. LAWMA trucks too have stopped coming to pick them for sometimes now. I learnt they are complaining that people have stopped paying their levies to PSP. Residents too are angry that LAWMA made a huge increase in the levy which they said they are not ready to pay. Now residents and traders are dumping the refuse anywhere that caught their fancy.”
She queried LAWMA for refusing to pack the garbage. “ She wondered: “Are they waiting for an epidemic to kill all of us here? Though we now use cart pushers, government should urgently do something about it.”
A resident of Omolola Street, Ijesha, explained what brought about the decision by residents to stop payment of LAWMA new garbage clearance rate. He noted: “We used to pay N6, 000 for each building. But now, they are collecting from each flat N3, 500, and each room, N1, 500. It is too much. People are hungry and you are charging them that much. That’s why they are now using cart pushers, which is cheaper. Government should look into it and find a way to resolve the problem; else it will cause health challenges here.”
She expressed fear that this rainy season might make the breeding of diseases and concomitant epidemic faster.
A man who identified himself as Gbenga is also not happy with the development. When asked why garbage dumps are littered all over the place, he retorted angrily: “Why won’t people drop the garbage anywhere when LAWMA refused to provide garbage bins for them?” He wondered why the agency has refused to pack the garbage heaps making everywhere untidy and unhealthy. But James Johnson, another resident blamed both the residents and LAWMA. He observed: “Some of the residents and traders don’t even engage cart pushers. They just dump their garbage anywhere they see on the road and expect LAWMA to pack them.”
According to him, it is those that don’t care to pay LAWMA fees even when it was cheap and affordable that are dumping their garbage by the road side.
LAWMA responds, warns residents
Ibrahim Odumboni, MD/CEO, LAWMA, in response to questions from Saturday Sun, on why things are going from bad to worse as far as environmental sanitation in Lagos is concerned, took time to explain some sticky points between his company and residents. Asked why LAWMA appears to be sleeping while garbage heaps keep springing up like mushrooms in many parts of Lagos including Ijesha, he said that in recent times, his organisation has stepped up efforts to address the issue, not only in Ijesha but across the state.
His explanation: “We have used variety of strategies to urge residents to avoid this negative practice. However, we have found out that a lot of people who don’t own a bin for the containerization of their refuse are forced to bring their waste to the highways or give it to the prohibited cart pushers as a last resort. These cart pushers don’t have access to our dumpsites. And they cannot push the cart up to 500m. They pick from point A, and dump at point B. At the end of the day, it comes back to us. With any little rains, the drains are flooded, despite the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources’s efforts at dredging the drains. We are our own enemies. Whichever way we treat the environment is the way the environment would treat us. These actions of our people are unacceptable and undermine efforts of the authority to sanitise the environment. Aside the health implication, it also undermines the beautification efforts of the state government.”
He then issued a stern warning to all Lagosians, urging them to either buy the LAMA-issued green and blue bins. Or else, provide their own: “We expect government to do everything for us. Owning a bin does not only prevent sickness; it also allows for enough storage time before the PSP truck comes. Those dumping garbage at Ijesha or elsewhere in Lagos aren’t ghosts; they are residents of that community. They may think that they are smart, but anyone caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law. Just last year, over 100 people were jailed for different environmental offences.”
He further noted that officials of the agency had been going round to educate residents in different local govts and local council development areas (LCDAs). According to him, they have also been holding stakeholders’ meeting with various chairmen ofCommunity Development Associations (CDA) and environmental health officers on the importance of proper waste management. He added that the issue of keeping the environment neat and healthy is a collective responsibility.
He explained: “The era of keeping quiet if your neighbour isn’t doing the right thing is over. This is the era of see something, say something and do something. Dumping garbage under whatever excuse is not acceptable. It is an offence and anyone caught by our enforcement team or local police assigned to the area will be charged accordingly.”
He however blamed the worsening garbage situation in Lagos on the scarcity and high cost of diesel. This is because all service providers trucks run on diesel. This, among other factors, he explained, accounts for the increase in the bill being paid by Lagosians. He also defended the different amounts being paid by residents. He explained: “There are no uniform charges for all tenements in the state. For example, the amount being paid by someone living in a mini-flat is different from that of someone living in a three-bedroom apartment, and it goes on.”
Asked what LAWMA is doing to evacuate the garbage that is now becoming a source of embarrassment even to the Lagos State government, he answered that the agency was partnering other sister agencies in the state such as the Neighbourhood Watch and Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA), to track and apprehend persons and motorists engaging in waste mismanagement around the city.
He ended his warning with this clarion call: “We appeal to all residents to support our efforts by bagging and containerising their wastes, while waiting for evacuation by the assigned PSP operators. Government cannot do it alone. It has to be collective efforts.”