Residents, traders differ with LAWMA over dumpsite at Boundary Market

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Henry Obetta

LAGOS — TRADERS and residents of Boundary Market area, Ajegunle, Lagos State have decried the poor state of the environment, saying that poor waste management practices have led people to dump their refuse on the roads.

They also lamented the deplorable condition of the Ajegunle-Apapa Waterside canal, saying that the dumping of refuse and sewage in the canal had led to its contamination, making it have a foul odor and posing a risk to their health.

In an interview with Vanguard, some of the residents blamed the poor condition of the environment on fellow residents, stating that they dispose of their refuse improperly and lack good sanitary habits, while others faulted waste management agencies for inefficiencies in the performance of their duties.

A shop owner, Mr Philip Mgbecheta, stated that perpetrators usually dump  refuse on the market roads when traders had gone home after the day’s work.

Mgbecheta said: “After closing the market, we found out that there are people – some living in the market area, some who sleep within the market – they will use the opportunity to throw their dirt on the market road. We, inside the market, used to contribute money to make sure that we clean it.”

He lamented the state of the Ajegunle-Apapa Waterside canal, stating that it had grown worse compared to previous years, as refuse accumulation and had increased, causing mosquitoes to increase and posed a health risk.

Mgbecheta, who called for deployment of more security personnel in the market, said: “The dirt on the road is not good for human health. It’s not good for somebody to sit in an environment that is not clean.”

Another shop owner, Miss Mary Steven, whose shop is close to the canal, complained bitterly about the state of the canal, saying, “People bring refuse from their homes many times to dump here instead of them to pay and wait for LAWMA to carry their refuse. Sometimes, some of the cart pushers will take money from people, pack their dirt and come pour it here.

“They have not done anything here; we don’t see waste management officials here. We don’t have a nice view here. People would come here and be looking at us like we are so dirty, not knowing that it’s outsiders who used to bring dirt here.”

Another trader, Peace Akinloye, urged that the regular monthly sanitation exercise be reintroduced in the market.

On his part, a wholesaler, Mr Jude, attributed the improper refuse dump in the market to the inefficiencies of the government and waste management agencies.

Jude said: “Every shop, I think, pays N600 every month, but LAWMA don’t come. At the end of the day, we use our money to throw dirt. In our compound, each flat pays either N2000 or N2500 every month, yet we throw the dirt away by ourselves.

“LAWMA not doing their work in this area.”

LAWMA blames residents

Meanwhile, the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, has blamed indiscriminate refuse dump by residents as the basic reason for the present heaps of refuse around Boundary Market area, Ajegunle, Ajeromi Ifelodun, Local Government of the state.

Managing Director, LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, while reacting to public outcry over heaps of refuse and poor state of the environment in Ajegunle, said: “LAWMA takes the concerns of residents and traders around Boundary Market, Ajegunle, seriously.

“Keeping the area clean requires both reliable collection and strict compliance—waste must be properly bagged and handed over to the assigned Private Sector Participant, PSP, operators, not dumped on roads or into the canal.

“We are engaging the relevant PSP and market leadership to tighten service standards, and we will intensify monitoring and enforcement against indiscriminate dumping, including offenders who dump at night.

“We will work on it and send you a report once we’ve made progress resolving the issues there. However, the Boundary situation presently has significantly improved.”

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