Many streets in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, have been taken over by dirts.
The situation, OYOINSIGHT.COM understands, is hindering free flow of vehicular and human movement.
This, OYOINSIGHT.COM learnt, cannot be disconnected from the alleged face-off between the state government and waste contractors. After two weeks of warning strike over unpaid contact fee, some of the contractors are yet to restart operations.
This newspaper understands that the Seyi Makinde led administration has not been having it good with waste management in the state.
It would also be recalled that Makinde had on November 25, 2019 declared a state of emergency on refuse collection and waste management in the state.
The governor’s spokesman, Taiwo Adisa, had quoted his boss as saying that “the poor waste management could have wider implications on the state of health of individuals in the state, adding that if care was not taken, the health situation of people in the state may worsen.”
The emergency declaration, OYOINSIGHT.COM recalls, came two weeks after the revocation of the agreement with Messrs. West Africa Energy, which operated under the name Solous MRF. 1 Ltd.
Alleging that the company did not live up to expectation in cleaning the city, late environment commissioner, Kehinde Ayoola, had stated that the company was found to be in material breach of the contractual terms.
It would also be recalled that the incumbent administration in February 2020, launched the “Clean and Green Initiative,” put together by the ministry of environment and natural resources in conjunction with the Oyo State Waste Management Authority, OYWMA.
In places like Iwo road, Gate, Oje, Bere, Oja’ba, Mapo, Idi-Arere, Molete, Challenge, dirts have taken over available spaces.
“Now there is no where you go to in Ibadan without traffic. This is as a result of blockages on the drainages by roadsides. So, it has affected the road,” said a top member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In Mokola, Bodija, Sango, Eleyele, Ojoo, Gbagi and other inner parts of Ibadan, flood takes over major streets when it rains as the drainage and adjoining gutters have been blocked due to indiscriminate dumping of refuse and waste.
Efforts to speak with Prince Morounfolu Adelore, chairman of the Oyo State Waste Management Authority, OYWMA, were not successful as at press time.
Sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity with OYOINSIGHT.COM, disclosed that dumpsites in Ibadan are no more working perfectly.
“Government has approved that waste be dumped on a bare land along Alomaja road in Oluyole local government without considering the environmental impact nor making proper arrangements to turn the land into a landfill. The land is also just beside a river… =eople will suffer, so many will die…yet we are all looking,” one of the explained.
In June 2020, the contractor handling the project the clean & green project, Mr. Idowu Salawu, said the initiative had created 12,000 direct jobs for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled income earners in Oyo State, through the on-going rehabilitation at Awotan dump site.
Salawu, whose company, Macpresse West Africa Ltd. is handling the rehabilitation of Awotan and Ajakanga dumpsites revealed that the project has birthed 500 registered private companies that are engaged in refuse collection at the 11 LGAs in the 1st phase of the programme.
“Each registered company invested in the purchase of minimum of 2 refuse collection trucks valued at N24 million and each truck employs a minimum of 6 persons in its day to day running”, he said.
Making further analysis, Salawu said, “the scheme, called clean and green initiative, has engaged 6,000 direct employment opportunity. Each, presently engaged 500 PSP operators having six personnel managing the 1,000 trucks with drivers, motor boys and 4 refuse parkers engaged on a permanent basis”.
“Other employment created from the scheme includes 100 daily workers at the host community of Awotan, Apete and Akufo in Ido LGA where the ongoing rehabilitation of dumpsite has provided jobs for about 100 refuse dump scavengers and construction workers that make their daily livelihood at the dumpsite”, he added.
Salawu further said the total value of investment injected into Oyo State economy is estimated at N12billion from private sectors just to add value chain into waste management in line with international best practice.
