Lagos, the former capital city of Nigeria and now the economic nerve centre of Nigeria is known as “Centre of Excellence”. But what do you see today? With all the filthy, smelling and stinking wastes all over the city, can it now be truly called centre of excellence again? This is because Lagos has moved from centre of excellence to centre of filth, wastes and rubbish.
Everywhere you go is stinking and smelling. Analysts have concluded that if this continue, Lagos may come under the siege of wastes and outbreak of terrible diseases because of the stench all over the places.
It is very appalling and discomforting when you come across these smelling rubbish with your eyes or when you drive past them. In some places, these dirt has taken over public road to the extent that moving vehicles has to climb the rubbish to be able to navigate their ways.What is the government doing? One may ask.
However, the situation on ground shows that the government is oblivious of what is going on or they are aware but failed to take action to clean our city of wastes. The government seems not worry about the possible effect of the stench especially in the densely populated areas of the city. Today because of government inaction to clear these wastes, the so- called Mega City of Excellence has now become “Mega City of Filth, Wastes and Rubbish”.
Recently the government gave the excuse that because they creating other dump sites outside the popular “Olusosu” in the Ojota area of the city for these rubbish but what has the Ministry of Environment did up till now? Unfortunately the PSP trucks we were told has broken down and only few are working and so are not capable of carrying the dirt away. Most of them are functioning.
Is it not government duty to provide trucks that can dispose these wastes? If not that Nigeria is blessed, the kind of filth and wastes generated in Lagos on daily basis though unbelievable but can cause a big epidemic in the city. Lagos state must wake up from its slumbering mode to clear these stinking wastes away from our city so that a conducive atmosphere can be created for the good health of the people.
It will be recalled that Lagos was not this bad in terms of waste collection and disposal up until now that the city of Lagos has become a “huge embarrassment” and “big shame” to government and residents. The Ministry of Environment must rise to the occasion of getting rid of these wastes before Lagos experience health hazards that may be disastrous to the well being of the people.
Everywhere you go, you see filth all over the places. That is why we are saying the government must take a drastic action to contain the spread and escalation of these decay. We appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu and the Ministry of Environment to do the needful by cleaning Lagos of these wastes.
Lagos cannot continue to be the dirtiest city in the world. The world is watching. We must act now before a breakout of diseases. A stitch in time, they say saves nine. So Sanwo-Olu over to you. The people are looking up to you to cleanse our city of these stinking wastes. Safe us and save our environment!
