SIR: In 2007, in the wake of Governor Fashola’s administration, the idea of a Mega Lagos was the drive. To the effect of which a part of Oshodi common market became heritage garden. And at least one part of the state possibly not in whole but in ignorable part, had an effect of this Mega Drive. As an Islander then, it was a tough battle getting this done on the island. For a shift in the taut curve could cause a break of the Island society. But this I supposed was an easy thing to achieve in Ebute-Metta, as it was usually a Mega Lodge.

One of the anti-mega statuses that needed to be dealt with on the Island then was the commercial activity of the ‘Bola boys.’ Well, properly called, they are Omo’bola. Not Omobola a proper noun of the Yoruba name (but pronounced as /re re ‘mi do/ with the accent on the 3rd syllable.) They were the ones who helped to collect rubbish at a fee and disposed it to wherever. Owing to bad road networks of the island it was not possible for state waste managers to come in to collect the refuse, hence the Bola boys helped a great deal.

Coming to the mainland, Ebute-Metta dotting some years now, I never set my eyes on the Bola boys until recently. The waste managers were always coming even up till now, only that their service is not efficient. And the Bola boys I supposed are taking advantage of this. Ebute-Metta has a record of one of the few metropolises in Lagos that has a good blueprint before its execution. Hence it has a very good road network, well-spaced housing among other metropolitan features.

But the defect in the waste management system started sometime last year when the only point for collecting refuse at Makoko junction was banned from use. So, the Lagos State Waste Management (LAWMA) had to come to the front of each house to collect the waste. There are two problems noticeable here: they come in wrong times when corporate workers would have gone to work and refuse mount unnecessarily in peoples’ homes to the effect that scavengers (or so I think) now see an economy in what was once forbidden.
I saw a woman down the street patronising one lately.

A plea to Lagos State Government and especially LAWMA, please kindly include Saturday mornings as one of your service days in Ebute-Metta. Remember a little leaven, leveneth the whole lump. A Mega Lagos our concern.

• Kariola Mustapha,
Ebute-Metta., Lagos