For a number of
weeks running
now, keeping Edo sate clean has been the hype. The present administration saw the sorry state of the sanitary all over the metropolis and decided to take measures to clean up the state. Workers were employed to sweep and evacuate refuse from the major streets, including the king’s square.
This worked fairly, though there were still some lapses, but it was a good start, and everyone hoped for greater results. However for over one month, things seemed to have gone back to status quo, or even worse. Right now, Benin city is too…oo dirty!
Yes, the whole place is dirty. Right from the King’s Square to the small, hidden lanes around the city, you find pieces of paper, pure water sachets, corn peels and what have you, everywhere you turn. Of course the ones found at Ring Road are the aftermath effects of the trading activities of market women and others in the evening. Mission Road junction is almost turning to a septic tank you perceive urine and other offensive odors right there.
Our gutters and drainages are filled up to the brim with wastes and sand to the extent that flood has come to stay. People don’t clean their gutters anymore, they can’t cut the grasses around their houses until it is environmental sanitation day. Others use gutters as refuse dump. They sweep from their houses into gutters, corn and orange sellers empty the wastes of what they sell into the gutters. You find dumping sites in every market place and the refuse are left for weeks unending; and when it rains, oh the smell! At a time a particular spot at “Ring Road” precisely opposite Mission Road was turned into a refuse dump. Some of the so called workers who were employed by the government to sweep these roads either sweep the debris into gutters or leave them by the road side for days unending. I think there should be those who sweep and gather the dirt, and there should be those who follow up immediately to pack the debris away.
Another disturbing trend in the state capital, that has also come to stay, is the King’s Square popularly known as Ring Road turned market place every evening. This, mind you, is the heart of the city. Actually, trading usually starts early in the day, morning. You find few sellers with their wares displayed around the edges i.e the kerb of the “round about”. There you find items like snatches toothpaste, toothbrush, candles, groundnuts etc all displayed for sale.
Then, in the evening once it is 5.30 pm the market women come out with their food stuffs for sale. You will find any food item you want ranging from garri to even snail.
While this is going on, pedestrians cannot move easily, vehicle users cannot manoeuvre while motorists have to take extra care and be more patient to drive around. Of course, at this time, the bus drivers loose their senses more than ever. They block the junctions leading to other major roads like Airport Road Plymouth Road, Oba Market Road, Mission Road, Akpakpava Road, Forestry Road etc.
You can see them packed right in the middle of the “Round About” almost causing accidents all in a bid to discharge or pick up passengers. They drive against traffic and run passersby out of the hard shoulder or kerb. We all know that the hard shoulder is the area designated for pedestrians to use along road sides, especially major roads like the King’s Square (Ring Road).
While the bus drivers are doing this - committing such traffic offence and constituting nuisance, the traffic wardens and policemen stand by and watch. Some of the policemen even go about their own thing.
The government alone is not to blame, citizens are even more guilty. When you caution fellow passengers not to throw dirt out of buses or taxis, they take offence , and always want to insult you. The other day, a colleague politely rebuked a bus conductor for throwing out pure water sachet from the bus, while the waste basket was hanging empty right inside the bus. The bus conductor said “ all these dirty wey they for outside nko, na me put them?” Other passengers in the bus joined him. We can see from the above that even when the government tries to put things right, the people are not willing to play their roles.
Even the environmental sanitation day is now a complete joke. Let’s not forget that the adverse effects of letting wastes lie around range from cholera to diarrhoea among other ailments which could be very deadly.
This irritating trend which has become more or less the norm in this great ancient city gives room for concern, and questions .
For crying out loud, why should mission road junction, or the small roundabout opposite it be used as a refuse collection point?
Why is there no task force in place to punish offenders who throw pure water sachets and unwanted items anywhere and every where? Why would people rather throw refuse out of buses and taxis instead of using waste baskets provided for such purposes simply because there is no form of punishment for such indiscipline?
We cannot help but keep our environment clean for our own sake, Therefore measures should be introduced to ensure that our environment remains clean. Waste bins should be placed at strategic places on the road side for passersby to drop pieces of paper or pure water sachets in. Passengers in commercial vehicles should be slopped from throwing out pieces of paper, sachets or other items from moving vehicles.
Residents should be able to cut the grasses in front of their houses and in gutters.
Task force from the local government councils should make market women pay fines in order to stop them from emptying wastes into gutters and along the road sides.
Bus and taxi drivers should be made to face the wrath of the law accordingly for any traffic offence.
This I believe would help to curb the madness prevailent among commercial drivers, Market women should be adjured to stay on the streets around Oba market to sell their goods in the evening and not come out to “Ring Road” in a bid to sell their wares. By so doing, the city centre would no longer be littered with dirts.
However, street lights should be provided on the streets around Oba market to aid this night trade.
Even during the day, market men and women who sell on the road side should be driven into the shops that have been made available for them, inside the market to sell their wares there, I am not just talking about Oba market, but New Benin Market, Oliha market, Ekiosa market etc. This would help clean the city to a large extent and reduce traffic congestion in market areas. Waste bins mobile refuse dumps in market areas and other places should be emptied on a daily basis
All these should set the ball rolling for a good trend.
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