Residents and traders have raised the alarm over a long-standing refuse dump along the Magboro Market Road, in the Magboro area of Ogun State, describing it as a major environmental and health concern.
The heap of waste, located close to the busy market and adjoining residential areas, has grown into a recurring nuisance.
During a visit to the location, our correspondent observed that the waste had accumulated heavily, spreading across the roadside and surrounding environment, while pedestrians continued to use a narrow path beside the dump.
A member of the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria operating in the area, Idris Lawal, blamed the situation on indiscriminate dumping by residents and passersby.
He added that although officials of the Owode Local Government and environmental officers occasionally evacuated the waste, the dump often re-emerged within days.
He said, “People come from inside the village and even from the market side to dump refuse there. When we shout at them during the day, they stop, but they come back at night or early in the morning.
“The last major evacuation was about two months ago. Sometimes the council brings trucks to pack it, but before you know it, the place is full again,” he added.
Traders in the market lamented that the refuse dump had become a persistent health risk but said they felt helpless.
“It is not good for our health, but we don’t have a choice. We sell during the day and leave in the evening,” a trader, Mustapha Salami, said.
Another trader, Peace Igeabor, alleged that some individuals occasionally collected money from traders, claiming they would clear the refuse, but failed to do so.
“We have been told to contribute money for the clean-up of the place, but nothing was done about it,” she said.
A cloth vendor who identified himself simply as Steven said the traders had repeatedly called on the government to erect warning signs to discourage illegal dumping.
“If they put a signboard or fence around the place, it may help. Everybody is complaining. This thing is not good for health,” he said.
When contacted on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Ministry of Environment, Rotimi Oduniyi, said the refuse dump was illegal and unknown to the government.
Oduniyi explained that Waste Private Sector Partnership operators had been assigned to collect refuse from the market and dispose of it properly.
He warned that the continued existence of the illegal dump site could attract sanctions, including the closure of the market.
“We have assigned PSP operators to that market. They are supposed to collect the waste regularly, and the government subsidises part of the cost.
“The government has provided a PSP for them. Because of overriding public interest, trading cannot continue in such an unhealthy environment. They must cooperate with the PSP and stop creating illegal dump sites,” he added.
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