It’s been over 10 months since Governor Ademola Adeleke, dissolved the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) and replaced it with Imole Youth Corps, laying off the youths engaged by the scheme.
The sacked youths had for years been responsible for the cleaning of the roads across the state.
After sacking the youths and floating the Imole Youth Corps, even though some people condemned the action of the governed, others, especially members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, believed it would be an avenue for them to also get into the scheme.
However, the floated new scheme is yet to see the light of day, a decision that is already impacting the sanitation of Osun environments.
Major roads in Osogbo, capital of Osun State and other towns in the state have become dirty in the absence of sacked community service workers.
The absence of replacements for the laid-off youths has turned the roadsides into an eyesore.
Even though personnel of the Osun Waste Management Agency are picking up the refuse at the dumping site, the state is still littered with remnants of the refuse with bushes also taking over the medians in majority of the state highways.
OSUN DEFENDER observed that roadside at Estate, Dele Yes Sir, Ogo Oluwa, Igbona, Ota Efun and Kobongbongbe of Osogbo, Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun local government and Ile-Ife are littered with dirt, especially empty table water plastics and nylons.
Speaking with the medium, a resident of Ota-Efun, Osogbo who identified himself as Jacob Emmanuel, urged the state government to provide a short-term solution to cleaning the roadsides, pending the time it will roll out its long-term plans.
Emmanuel who noted that the state’s roadsides were getting too dirty and bushy, challenged the state Commissioner for Environment to rise and perform his duties.
He said: “Almost all the busy roadsides in Osogbo are dirty and bushy now because those responsible for cleaning and clearing them have been sacked. I know the present government will have its reasons for laying them off but I believe there should be an alternative or short-term solution before the Governor will recruit other people.
“I wonder what the Ministry of Environment and the commissioner is doing, seeing how dirty the state is. It has never been this bad”.
A trader at Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun local government, Alhaja Monisola Lawal, told the medium that it has dawned on some people that the OYES cadets were doing great work with the cleaning of the roadsides.
She said: “Some people see those in charge of cleaning the roads among the sacked OYES cadets as below the ladder; they underrated and undervalued them. But everybody is now appreciating their work because it is an open fact that our roads are becoming dirty every day. The roadsides are littered with waste which is not supposed to be.”
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG) had recently called the attention of Osun State government to what it described as the increasing dirtiness of Osogbo, the state capital.
According to the group, Osogbo was fast becoming the dirtiest state capital, going by the unclean state of major roads and streets.
Spokesperson for the group, Comrade Ayo Ologun, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER noted that every major road in the state capital has become an eyesore due to the heaps of refuse littering the roads.
He admonished the state government to orientate the citizens and enforce the law guiding sanitation in the state.
He said, “A visit through Ogo Oluwa, Jaleyemi Junction through Igbona and Stadium daily is an eyesore and a bad depiction of a capital city
“First is the orientation of the populace and then enforcement of law guiding sanitation in the state. We must be deliberate about a clean society. It is an antidote to sickness and pandemic.”
But responding to the call by the civil society organization, the Special Adviser on Environment and Sanitation, Hon Babatunde Adeniyi Balogun said TAG’s report was a deliberate attempt to rubbish the good work of the Governor.
Hon. Balogun who reiterated the commitment of Governor Adeleke’s administration to deal with the numerous challenges posed by environmental degradation in the state noted that “with all sense of responsibility, entire Osun remains one of the cleanest states in the country as both the state capital and major cities in the state are always kept clean daily by the sweepers, parkers as well as PSP operators.
“We have some large trucks functioning well with small trucks packing over 1000 tonnes of waste to our various dump sites every day for effective management. “So, how could a group gather false statements to tarnish the good work of an action Governor? This is barbaric and we are condemning and rejecting such write-up and we are warning them to desist from such act”.
Hon Balogun stated that Governor Adeleke is keen towards creating a conducive and clean environment for the entire citizens of the state.
According to Hon Balogun, “On the issues of waste collection, there was no day that our trucks will not collect refuse, even no holiday as every day is a working day for the officials in charge.”
Efforts to get the state Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Mayowa Anjorin proved abortive as calls to his line were not going and the message sent was not replied to at the time of filling this report.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
