Residents and pedestrians along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway have complained of the persistence of open defecation in the reconstructed sewerage system.
PUNCH Subway reports that this trend is becoming more rampant as criminals damage highway medians with feces, forcing pedestrians crossing the highway to cover their noses.
Our correspondent monitoring the health situation on the expressway on Wednesday observed that the median from Berger in Lagos State to Kara, Warewa and Mowe in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State has become a habitual place for defecation.
However, pedestrians and residents in the area warned that the strong odor emitted was dangerous for personal hygiene.
Talk with PUNCH Subway On Wednesday, one resident, Tunde Adewale, said: “Despite the potential embarrassment, the faeces pose a serious health risk to us residents, and the government must act now. This situation has been going on for a long time and we have filed numerous complaints but nothing has been done while these people continue to ravage the place. We risk contracting diseases such as cholera and dysentery. We cannot pretend we don’t know the dangers of letting this continue unchallenged.”
Despite concerns over the number of public toilets along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor, our correspondent on Wednesday spotted two different public toilets at the OPIC and Arepo ends of the expressway.
One of the officers who identified himself as Akin said: “The bathroom is always operational and we only charge N100 for shower and N100 to use the toilet. However, there are also those who use these structures, there are also those who choose to go in the middle of the median to defecate. We tried to avoid them because we understood that they had provided toilets for us, but they didn’t listen to us. Sometimes we also shoot with the slingshot at anyone we see defecating there.”
One of the public toilet managers, Olayiwola Ogunsolu, said: “Until the government starts arresting those practicing open defecation, this will probably continue to happen. This is the only solution. We tried our best to avoid it several times, but some of them thought we did it so they could patronize us. That’s why we left them. Once they are arrested and forced to pay a fine of 5,000 naira, they will realize that the fine is much more than the affordable price they were charged for using the public toilet.”
Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the state government would intensify law enforcement to ensure those responsible are caught.
He said: “I wasn’t happy with what I saw there. There are still gaps in maintaining law enforcement in this area, but I can assure you that we will increase law enforcement in the coming days. We have to send people there permanently and we will pay them. People need to see effective policies before they run away from there.”
2024-01-04 04:52:36
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