By Fidelis David
Today, anywhere you turn to in Akure the Ondo State capital, you will be welcomed by heaps of filth and dirt, smelling disgustingly and Stinkingly.
Fellow Nigerians, believe me, It will be an understatement to presently, rank Akure, the State capital as one of the states in Nigeria with the best—worst—levels of unhygienic conditions. Even deodorizer will bow and succumb to the malodorous and odoriferous smells.
The streets of Oja Oba, Arakale, Oba Adesida road, Oyemekun Road, Oba Osupa road, NEPA, Isikan among others have been littered with heaps of refuse, thereby causing unpleasant, discomforting and odorous smells.
No doubt, the environment affects our health in a variety of ways. The interaction between human health and the environment has been extensively studied and environmental risks have been proven to significantly impact human health, either directly by exposing people to harmful agents, or indirectly.
Do you know that this decomposing negligence by the concerned authorities could cause lower-respiratory infections and diarrhea-related diseases to our children, while older people could contract noncommunicable diseases such as stroke, heart disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease?
Findings revealed that the concessionaire in charge decided to abandon the refuse as a result of the state government’s failure to pay the company for several months.
The concessionaire, personnel were last seen packing refuse in Akure metropolis two weeks ago. Meanwhile, this is not the first time this ugly incident will be coming up.
In 2020, When the election campaigns were ongoing, it was reported that the company’s trucks were moving round the streets to collect refuse from residents who they had abandoned for a very long period despite the fees they pay for the service.
Among the areas touched during the election campaigns was the blocked carnal at the front of Salvation Primary School, Odo-Ikoyi Street, Akure where the workers of the company scooped some of the refuse while one of them was making video recording of the exercise. Little did we realize that it was a mathematical and calculated attempt.
If nothing is urgently done to address this INCESSANT stinky situations, then, the state as a whole is on the verge of experiencing cholera outbreak, and you know the implications right?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in four deaths worldwide can be linked to unhealthy environments.
The agency said an estimated 12.6 million people died in yearly as a result of living or working near unhealthy places.
One of the most effective ways we can protect ourselves and others from illness is good hygiene. This is not limited to washing your hands, your body.
Enough is enough, we can't continue like this, , Ondo state government must expand its sanitation efforts by investing in slum upgrading, waste recycling, and a popular bus rapid transit system.
A healthy environment underpins a healthy population, therefore, if we do not take actions to make our environments healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young.
Ondo state's slogan is 'A PLACE OF PRIDE', therefore, it must be spotlessly clean and remain environmentally uncontaminated.
I rest my case!!
Fidelis David is a Journalist, Feature Writer and a Polemicist. He wrote from Akure, the Ondo State capital. You can reach him via fidelisdavid5@gmail.com
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