News

*OPINION: Osogbo in the throes of refuse heaps

•••As Osun ranks as sixth dirtiest state in Nigeria

•••Osun government must empower OWMA

•••NYBIO has failed woefully in the discharge of duty

Osogbo, the Capital of Osun state is currently mired with dirt and heaps of refuse dotting the highways and inner-city roads, during the just concluded festive period.

The stench oozing out from heaps of refuse at the median of the roads is offensive and dangerous to the health of residents, according to the data from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and Clean-Up Nigeria published by Nigeria Tribune in 2024 check the link below Osun was ranked as sixth dirtiest state in Nigeria. When Osun is ranked sixth it means the state Capital is dirty.

That the Capital city of Osun State who is known to be very neat in the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Aregbesola and Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola surface on the list of most dirtiest states in Nigeria is a big disgrace to Governor Ademola Adeleke government.

Dirty environment is extremely risky to residents and the fear of looming epidemic and a breath of fresh unpolluted air is highly dangerous. The question begging for an answer now is: WHAT IS OSUN WASTE MANAGEMENT AGENCY (OWMA) doing?

Entering Osogbo from Iwo/Osogbo axis via the Omobolanle, Dele Yes Sir, Interchange roundabout, Dada Estate or from Dele Yes Sir to Halleluya to Adetunji to Lameco to Islarudeen junction to Stadium, the story is the same. Roadsides, canals, residential areas, market spots and uninhabited areas are overtaken with heaps of refuse.

Recently some strange waste management Vehicles were seen on our major roads tagged NYBIO who owns this company or Mr Governor has secretly changed the name OWMA?

Is NYBIO the solution to OWMA? This is the question begging for an answer from the stable of the Osun state government. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola used OWMA to evacuate waste in the State and Osun was so clean like Mecca back then.

This NYBIO of a thing is a total waste and should be abolished completely by the Osun state government, cleaning of our environment should be handled by the trained Environmental officers not by just anyhow persons.

It is never an overstatement that during the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola government Osogbo witnessed massive enlightenment and efforts to clean up the city, but this was not sustained by Governor Ademola Adeleke government.

A first-time visitor to the Osogbo would be amazed at the mass of filth that would welcome him to the Capital city. Filth has now become an external decor for the entire span of the intra city and major roads.

Is Private Sector Partnership (PSP) in waste management still in use? Or NYBIO is the one handling evacuation of refuse on our streets and communities?

I Blame the state government for poor implementation of its environmental laws, At a point in Osun, we witnessed government efforts in getting the environment cleaned through the activities of the Osun Waste Management Agency (OWMA) and PSP that collected refuse at every corner of the city.

Anyone reading this will think there are no Environmental Health officers in this state, We have them but their numbers are not encouraging, and the few ones were not equipped even from the local government to the state level.

I outrightly condemned the state government’s negligence in entrenching a sustainable refuse management model that would solve the problem once and for all, instead of bringing NYBIO at this critical time.

It is highly advisable for the Osun state government to empower OWMA and recruit enough cleaners, instead of bringing NYBIO who have failed woefully.

The health implications of the filthy environment is that residents are at the risk of epidemic and numerous diseases associated with living in a dirty environment. The Improper disposal of solid waste has an untold effect on the environment, with attendants diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, among others.

If the Osun state government is really serious about making Osun and other major cities clean, it has to be decisive. It has to be more serious and stricter in enforcing environmental laws. OWMA must be empowered by giving needed trucks, sufficient staff, qualified environmental officers and cleaners. Unknown NYBIO who is alien to our environmental sanitation system must be totally abolished. That is what the government needs to do.

*Bashorun Adekanola Desmond Abiodun writes from Ward 11, Ilie, Olorunda local Government, Osun state.*