Residents cry to Sanwo-Olu over human waste discharge into Obalende canal

By Paul Iyoghojie

Concerned motorists, traders, and residents around the P & T roundabout, Moloney Street, and Obalende Road in Ikoyi, Lagos, have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Commissioner for Environment, and the Chairman of Ikoyi-Obalende Local Government Development Authority to urgently intervene in what they describe as a public health hazard.

They allege that operators of public toilets at the Obalende BRT bus park, as well as those near the Obalende Road mosque and Neighborhood Watch Corps office, have been discharging human waste directly into the Obalende canal and gutters.

Residents warn that this practice could trigger the spread of diseases or even an epidemic if not stopped immediately.

Eyewitnesses told PM NEWS that the toilet operators have been engaging in this act for a long time, ignoring calls to use waste disposal trucks.

According to residents, while the BRT bus park toilet operators discharge waste openly during the day, those near Obalende Road secretly release waste at midnight through pipes connected from toilet pits into the gutters, causing foul odours and environmental pollution.

Mr. David Ikechukwu, a driver at P & T, Obalende, lamented:
“The BRT bus park toilet operators have been discharging human waste into the canal for a long time, polluting everywhere with offensive odours. Drivers and food vendors have pleaded with them to stop, but they refuse to listen. I am appealing to the government to arrest these operators and make them scapegoats for others to learn a lesson, because Lagos State spends millions monthly to clean the environment.”

Similarly, Mr. Isaac Kodjo, a resident of Obalende Road, said:
“The operators of the public toilet beside the Neighborhood Watch office and Obalende mosque discharge waste into the gutter through a pipe instead of using waste disposal trucks.”

When PM NEWS visited the Obalende canal around 5 p.m. over the weekend, human waste was visibly being discharged into the water. At about 12:30 a.m. on Monday, waste was also seen flowing into the gutter beside the mosque through a connected pipe.

Residents are now calling on the Lagos State Government to send officials to investigate and put an end to the practice before it results in outbreaks such as cholera, which would force the state to spend huge sums on treatment.