Residents have raised fears of a possible cholera outbreak in Ogun State as poor waste management and indiscriminate dumping of refuse continue to pose serious public health risks in various parts of the state.
   
They lamented that heaps of uncollected refuse, blocked drainage channels and poor sanitation practices have become common sights in many neighbourhoods, particularly in densely populated areas.
   
According to the residents, the situation has worsened with the onset of the rainy season, which has caused waste materials to be washed into water sources and residential areas, thereby increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
   
Consequently, they called on the state government, local authorities and environmental agencies to urgently evacuate the waste, clear blocked drains, and intensify public health awareness campaigns to prevent a potential health crisis.
   
A visit to several parts of Abeokuta, including Kuto, Panseke, Totoro, Oke-Sokori, Oke-Ilewo, Itoku and Saje, among others, revealed that many residents routinely dump refuse along the roadsides and on road medians, particularly at night or very early in the morning.

However, a cross-section of Abeokuta residents has appealed to the state government to urgently respond to the waste managers’ demands to ensure the speedy evacuation of waste around the capital city to avoid a cholera outbreak.
   

Among them, a fruit dealer at Kuto Market, Mrs. Rashidat Popoola, lamented the odour emanating from a waste bin in the market, urging the waste managers to improve and sustain waste evacuation from the area.
   
According to Popoola, the foul smell from the waste bin has significantly reduced patronage for her fruit business, as customers often find it difficult to tolerate the odour whenever they approach her stall. She added that waste heaps were mounting at the market, having not been evacuated in over three weeks.
   
Also, a market leader at Kuto, Saheed Oyewusi, urged the waste managers not to put the health of the traders at risk, expressing concern over the delay in evacuating waste from the facility. The egg dealer appealed to the state government to create a task force to address the indiscriminate refuse disposal at the market.
   
On her part, a pasta and egg seller at Oke-Sokori, Mrs. Folashade Yusuf, noted that if the waste managers shut down evacuation operations, the consequence would be too dangerous to human health.
   
She appealed to the state government to consider the waste managers’ demands, stressing that the heap of waste in front of her stall has reduced patronage of her wares. She explained that people often come at night to dump waste.
   
Meanwhile, the Manager of Lucid Vision Global at Panseke, Mr. Jude Chukwuka, has commended the state government’s efforts to ensure a cleaner environment. However, he urged the government to fence off the dumpsite to prevent illegal dumping of refuse there, accusing members of the public of indiscriminate dumping of waste across the state.
   
Also, at Iyana-Adigbe, Mrs. Florence John, who sells bread and Akara (bean cake) along the road, complained about the heap of waste dumped by residents under the pedestrian bridge in front of her stall, stressing that people abuse her whenever she tried to caution them to stop the illegal act.
   
She warned that failure to urgently tackle indiscriminate refuse dumping in the state could trigger a cholera outbreak, particularly affecting children. She urged the government to punish offenders as a way to deter others.