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By Vera Wisdom-Bassey
Ojuelegba, one of the busiest places in Lagos, is located within the Surulere Local Government area of the state.
It is one of the key transportation hubs in Lagos State, a major connecting point for commuters to Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland. It is also a central transportation point for those transiting to places like Idumota, Victoria Island, Yaba, Mushin, Surulere and Ikeja, among others.
Unfortunately, Ojuelegba has become such an eyesore. It is a place of refuse and filth – an environment known for its dirtiness.
At Ojuelegba, bags of refuse scattered along the roads dot everywhere. Along the Ojuelegba Road, you find refuse everywhere, including on the streets leading to Tejuosho Market in Yaba.
This reporter was at Ojuelegba recently, and the entire place was an eyesore. Unbearable stench oozed out from the many bags of refuse discordantly displayed around the area. There is no need for a soothsayer to predict that those living or plying their trade in the area might soon be victims of an epidemic if the situation does not abate soon.
It was gathered that some residents have resorted to burning their refuse and getting rid of their own wastes by themselves, after such people must have waited in vain for the disposing agencies to evacuate the refuse that may have started swarming with maggots.
Despite the existence of the Sanitation Law in Lagos, and the existence of LAWMA and some private cleaning companies around the city, Ojuelegba is evidence that some parts of Lagos have remained filthy environments.
At Ojulegba Road, if you are not careful, you might step into refuse on the road, with bags emitting odious stench scattered on the median towards Tejuosho Market.
A corn seller complained of losing customers, stating that people find it difficult to buy her corn because of the mess near where she sells her corn.
Another seller, who described herself as Iya Anu and sells food by the roadside, said the offensive smell that greets anyone who approaches the area, is not good for a city of international status like Lagos.
Another woman who sells fabrics on the road, said the refuse has piled up for weeks without officials of the agency responsible for waste collection showing up. She expressed frustration with the authorities who she claimed seemed to have abandoned the area and the people living or working there.
Speaking with our correspondent a food seller in the area, Mama Akeem, accused the officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) of not doing well, adding that the agency allowed the refuse to spend a long time on the road.
“This is affecting business activities in this area, especially those of us that are selling food. No customer will stand here to buy food from you with this kind of smell. That is why some of us usually move our wares away from this area when the smell becomes too much.
“It takes days for the LAWMA agents to show up here. This is a business centre. All the waste from the motor park, residential buildings and from those doing business on the other side of the road are usually kept in this area. The refuse was not this much before. By tomorrow, it will be more than this and the smell will be more,” she lamented.
