Are We That Dirty?

The world has exploded as a community stitched together by the tough invisible strings of technology. There are millions of communities or groups on different social media networks engaging themselves in diverse ways to improve themselves, their reality or some sort of nation building. Of course, there are others who derive immense joy in fomenting troubles or distributing distresses. In the instant case, a few of us, less than 100, have banded in a group called Ring-Masters. We set for ourselves an admittedly ambitious assignment of seeking ways to challenge and engage the multifarious issues plaguing our country. As usual with most things Nigerian, we have more often than not deviated from well-structured modules of activities designed to populate our spare time intellectually and emotionally.

Politics and its darker arts have often pushed us to the precipice of our mantra of civility and patriotism. By the way, members of the group are scattered all over the country, and the universe - courtesy of the world wide web, we chat as next-door neighbours! In one our more sober moments, we tackled the crippling collapse of environmental management, both the public and private dimensions.

The following statements are a condensation of various thoughts and positions in an attempt to understand why it seemed we were being overawed by sheer waste and debris in our major cities. Are we that dirty? Are our governments overwhelmed? Do we need expatriates to manage our waste? What worked, and why did we try to fix what was not broken? Many questions bubbled in our discussions. And answers popped too, hopefully.

It was clear that as the political atmosphere of Lagos State was being traumatized by political grandstanding and chicanery, the streets of Lagos were going to the dogs, literally. Many questions agitated the minds of Lagosians: What happened to the great new-age waste removal master-plan touted to revolutionize waste management in Lagos, less than a year earlier?

Why was the former head of Lagos Waste Management Agency, LAWMA, Ola Oresanya removed? (He has reportedly been recalled by a chastened governor after the spectacular bungling of his pet-project, VisionScape, a private company that was comprehensively lacerated by the governor’s adversaries as incompetent and ridiculously unrealistic).

Then more questions: What were the problems leading to the jettisoning of the old waste master-plan that needed a new vision for the landscape? Inadequate dumpsites? Stagnated recycling modules? Not enough trucks or loaders? Too many undocumented waste producers? Do we still have functional dumpsites in Lagos, after the closure of three? Do we have functional plants recycling our waste beneficially?

Why wasn’t the modernization plan of the Ambode administration phased progressively to avoid systemic shocks and shortfalls that polluted many parts of Lagos? Queries are legion.

However, while governance failed us spectacularly in this area - well, as far as the ordinary eyes can see - our people are also culpable. I recall my consternation on a visit to Central Lagos last year. As I trekked along Tinubu area, Dosumu, Ali-Balogun streets... towards Jankara market, the ‘scenery’ left me speechless. The level of decay and volume of trash on the streets, shopfronts, gutters, etc, bordered on the irresponsible. It was like a massive flat-top dumpsite.

Many of our people who sell in open stalls are unperturbed with the filth surrounding them... We are careless with public spaces... We litter any environment without scruples... how can any government cope with that level of indiscipline and apathy?

However, there are voices who believe that though most of our people dispose garbage carelessly, it is incumbent on governments to provide amenities that will encourage a change of attitude: Waste bins placed in strategic locations all over our streets, with subtle encouragement or compulsion to use them well. Get motorised road sweepers to complement, if not make redundant, the current status of our women who “labour” to clean our perennially dirty highways!

Nigerians’ poor maintenance culture, especially of public utilities, is still a sore point. It appears our mentality makes us see government and its officials as enemies...that must be outwitted or made to look bad, because we believe they care very little about our welfare or survival. We suspect that if waste bins were put all over the place, they will sooner be turned to other ridiculous usage. Remember public toilets, after the hues and cries over no public utilities... We messed them up faster than we built them. Obviously, we have scant regard for clean environment... We don’t care...We all do it, including the waste disposal personnel!

So, we need to bring the fear back. A good example is our fear of being arrested or fined for fake vehicle particulars, not using seat belts, or talking on the phone while driving.

To give flesh to that assertion, a story comes handy: of how in a vehicle coming from Ghana, passengers put trash in a basket in the bus all the way through Togo and Benin Republic. But as soon as the vehicle entered the borders of Nigeria, the trash was thrown out of the windows of the vehicle! No prize for guessing the nationality of the passengers.

Thus, it makes sense that even when waste bins are placed everywhere, sanitation officers are still necessary until the awareness and consciousness penetrate the locality - as part of serious orientation and enlightenment campaigns. All that will have to be backed by reasonable legislation to make our people environmentally