Imagine living next to a refuse dump. Well, that is the case with most people in Nigeria, especially in rural areas. Day to day, people are greeted with the unpleasant sight and stench of refuse dumps all around the streets. Refuse disposal is one of the major environmental problems in developing countries.
Health hazard, traffic congestion, unsightliness, and blockage of drainages are some of the problems caused by the lack of efficient waste management practice in Nigeria.
An average Nigerian would drop their water sachets and biscuits nylon by the road side, yet at the end of the day we are the ones to bear the brunt.
Lapai as a case study: Lapai is one of the 25 local government areas of Niger state, Nigeria. It hosts the state university, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, located along Paiko- Minna road.
As a university town, it offers an avenue for people to build houses (lodges) for students during their course of study. Most of the lodges are surrounded by refuse dumps causing discomfort to residents.
One lodge is ABC Lodge, located at Tanko Ilimi, state low-cost, Lapai. This lodge is surrounded by refuse dumps. In fact, if a person was to ask of the direction to ABC Lodge, you could easily say “the lodge in front of that big dustbin”.
It is indeed a sorry sight as it leaves the road looking disorganized because the dirt has spread to the road.
In an interview with a resident at the lodge, J. Ahmadu, she expressed disgust that “it makes the street look untidy and breeds mosquitoes and also when the wind blows it carries all sorts of dirt into the compound”.
Another resident of the lodge, a 300 level food science student, F.Babatunde, said, “As you can see, there is a lot of refuse around the house and bikes have to go through dirt to convey passengers and it makes everywhere stink”. She appealed to the Lapai local government to provide waste disposal bins as a solution to the indiscriminate waste disposal.
Lapai as an avenue for education also play hosts to a number of shop owners who sell things common to the needs of the students. One of such shop owners is Gozuru Muhammad, whose shop is at Tanko Ilimi road.
In an interview, she said, “There is no agency responsible for clearing refuse in Lapai. I have to clear it myself because of my business but it has boring.”
This is, indeed, a sad situation because she makes the local cake a few meters from a huge dump site and thereby inhales the stench and has to make do with the unpleasant sight it brings. Also, most refuse dumps in Lapai serve as toilets to children and even adults.
It would be a day of hope for residents in Lapai to start off on a promising note and on a better way of refuse disposal and also for mothers to educate their children that a heap of rubbish is no place to answer nature’s call. That way, they can look forward to a healthier life and tidy street.
Salma Ibrahim Ashama,
Mass Communication Department,
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University,
Lapai, Niger state
