It’s dirty! dirty! along Oshodi-Apapa expressway

The maddening traffic situation on the notorious Oshodi-Apapa expressway is fading away. Following signing of the 2016 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari and commencement of repairs by construction giant, Julius Berger, road users have begun to enjoy saner times, especially from Cele Bus Stop to Iyana Isolo Bus Stop. But it is not yet Uhuru; the road is gradually turning into a dumpsite, no thanks to parked articulated vehicles.

A recent visit to the area showed that these vehicles now provide the perfect space for some traders and residents to dump waste. The stench is horrible, and unless decisive measures are taken to curb the trend, an epidemic could be looming.

Loading petrol at Apapa requires tankers to park along the expressway, especially the service lane, for as many as five days, waiting for their turns. In most cases, however, the drivers, who monitor the schedule via mobile phone, leave their trucks for longer periods, until they receive the call up. Those days, however, are just the eternity some unscrupulous residents and traders need, to dump all the waste the can under the vehicles, and sometimes in the drainage.

“The traders, drivers and some residents are guilty. But the main culprits are the drivers. They have turned the roads to their personal toilets and bathrooms, where they do all sorts in the name of waiting to load petroleum products or containers,” said Taiwo Adegoke, a trader in the area.

According to him, even officials of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) have become overwhelmed by the problem. “Just when they think they have finished cleaning the place, they discover more waste, as the trailers drive off. And while taking care of this, another driver parks his truck, making the job frustrating, but giving some heartless people opportunity to dispose refuse under the vehicles. Before you know it, everywhere is filled with refuse,” said Adegoke.

One trader, who pleaded anonymity, said the drivers are making it hard for LAWMA officials to clean the area. “They contribute a lot to the amount of refuse you find along this road,” she said.

“It is fast becoming a huge menace. The onset of the rains makes it worse; water carries the waste into the drainage, clogging them and causing flooding. It also breeds mosquitoes and other harmful insects. It’s not a pleasant sight at all. The agencies responsible should look into it,” said Jude Uwaka.