Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, was regarded as the dirtiest city in Nigeria. But three years after Governor Abiola Ajimobi assumed office in 2011, the situation changed. It has become one of the cleanest. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU, who went round the city, reports that the situation may relapse if the government ignores the return of filth and street trading.
When Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi began the implementation of his beautification programme aimed at repositioning Ibadan city, many praised the initiative, even though it was stiffly opposed.
The Governor, in his determination to clear the city of dirt, moved against street traders, hawkers and shop owners who erected their shops under high tension electric cables, those on water channels and owners of other illegal structures.
The programme was not only resisted by members of the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but also some members within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In spite of all this, the governor was unrelenting in his resolve to make the city of Ibadan a reference point in terms of cleanliness.
Almost every part of the city was taken over by mountain-like malodorous garbage dumps, while wares displayed by traders struggle for space with moving vehicles and stinking drainage systems were everywhere.
At the Iwo Road Bridge, traders often compete for space with motorists on the expressway. That was the lot of Ibadan city before Governor Ajimobi-led administration assumed office. It took the unflinching commitment of the governor to clear the mess which has accumulated over the years.
Surprisingly, it is still a puzzle to many how this great achievement recorded by Governor Ajimobi on the beautification of the city within a very short period suddenly relapsed.
Currently, it is common sight in major areas of the city to see hawkers and street traders selling and buying on the roads with little or no qualms.
At Challenge, Molete, Mokola, Dugbe, Sango, Iwo Road Bridge and some other areas of Ibadan, it is hard to believe how people evaded the roads to display their wares.
One of the traders, Mrs Olaitan Agboluaje who spoke with this reporter acknowledged the effort of the state governor but complained of the approach used in handling the implementation of the beautification programme.
He also decried the issue of inadequate shops provided for traders by the government who forcibly drove the traders away from the streets.
If the shops were enough, Mrs Agboluaje stated, traders will have no reason to display their wares on the roads.
“We know the governor built shops at Molete Scout Camp, New Garage, Gbagi and some other places, but tell me how many traders were really accommodated in these markets. Don’t forget the fact that there are thousands of displaced traders in different parts of the city.
For instance, out of the long list of traders displaced from Iwo road, Idi-Ape, Gate and many other areas, how many traders will be accommodated at the market built at Gbagi?
“In fact, at Mokola Round-about down to Sango and Agbowo area of Ibadan, there are thousands of traders in this stretch, yet there is no single market built to absorb these traders. So, you can see where the problem lies. Unless the government is truly sincere in addressing this problem, I don’t think it will bring any desirable effect in the long-term,” he said.
A civil servant who spoke in confidence identified lack of organisation and planning as some of the major problems of the city.
Our source pointed out that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) worsen the situation with indiscriminate parking and careless driving on the road, congestion of major roads due to absence of government agents to enforce existing traffic rules.
He said: “Most cities that are well planned with effective laws will not tolerate reckless driving, street trading, poor sewage disposal and indiscriminate parking of vehicles. In Ibadan, bus and taxi drivers will park even on the middle of the roads to pick or drop passengers because he knows there is nobody to sanction him. The annoying aspect is the attitudes of drivers of the government mass transit buses called Ajumose bus.
“They have no bus stops; they park on the middle of the roads with all impunity without minding the fact that there are other road users. Ibadan is a cosmopolitan city and it makes no sense that things are going worse in this present day Nigeria when most cities in the country are far advancing.”
The people, however, appreciate the weekly sanitation exercise which is still much effective. In most areas, environmental and health officers ensure that gutters and surroundings are clean. The impact of the exercise would have been more felt if street sweepers are engaged to sweep dirt scattered all over the streets by residents during the weekly sanitation exercise.
Southwest Report gathered that majority of the street sweepers and the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES O) officers engaged by the government have left as government could no longer afford to keep them on its payroll due to dwindling state resources.
This has further worsened the problems of filth, street trading and indiscriminate parking in the city because there are not enough government agents to enforce its laws on beautification programme.
Speaking on the issue, former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and one of the aides of the governor, Mr Ismail Ali said the government has decided to apply massive education and enlightenment rather than the use of force to let the people see the need for keeping the city clean.
He said: “Currently, we are embarking on massive education, because if you don’t do mass education, they will not realise that all that we have been saying is in the people’s interest.
“They will think that you are trying to deny them their means of livelihood and movement, which is not true. What is more essential is to let them know that it is in their own interest. Although we are talking about beautification and all that, out of our peace, safety and security programmes, we are talking about really how to take people off where the risk is. So, what we are trying to make them realise is that the approach is subtle; we are not doing much of enforcement; we are doing much of persuasion and make people realise that they need to key into our vision.
“So, we will continue along that line; telling people why they shouldn’t be where they are, having given them alternatives. We are providing alternatives sufficient enough for them to earn their living. So, there is no reason why they should be found on the roads.”
