Refuse takes over roads in Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun

Heaps of refuse have invaded major roads across several South-West Nigerian states, including Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Ogun, turning dumps of waste into common sights. Residents are battling unbearable stench, blocked drainage systems, and escalating fears of disease outbreaks.

In Akure, the Ondo State capital, major streets are besieged by mountains of garbage. Areas like Arakale, Ijoka, Oke Aro, Aule, Orita Obele, and Odopotu Market are particularly affected, with waste lining both main roads and inner streets. Stagnant wastewater and foul odors have become a daily reality for traders, commuters, and households.

The crisis is fueled by weak enforcement of environmental regulations, insufficient waste infrastructure, a shortage of evacuation trucks, and a growing reliance on informal disposal methods. Many households resort to open dumping, roadside disposal, burning, or burying waste within their compounds instead of using approved collection services. In markets like Odopetu, traders have blocked canals with waste and set up stalls directly in front of refuse heaps.

While the state government enforces a monthly environmental sanitation exercise, investigations reveal it has not adequately addressed the daily waste generated by thousands of households, markets, and businesses. Drains cleared during the exercise are often re-clogged because evacuated refuse remains on roadsides for days before collection trucks arrive. Private waste operators serve estates and high-income neighborhoods, but densely populated communities continue to struggle with irregular collection and indiscriminate dumping. Officials urge residents to adhere to the 'Polluter Pays' principle, where households and businesses are expected to pay for waste services to fund essential operations.

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They generated the waste, they must take responsibility by paying. Other residents pay for waste disposal so the traders too must do the