Epidemic Looms At Ataoja’s Palace
By Sikiru Obarayese
Epidemic is looming around the Osogbo South Local Council Secretariat, as indiscriminate dumping of refuse, open defecation by traders around Oja-obamarket become the order of the day.
While this is on, the secretariat officers overlook the stinks produced by the wastes.
The local government fence which serves as the main entrance to the Ataoja’s palace has turned to a defecation ground, as well as waste disposal spot, where the council workers dispose their waste.
Findings showed that the wastes were always packed once in a year, by members of Osogbo National Students’ Union (ONSU) when the bad odour oozing out from the place becomes unbearable.
While the department of Waste, Water and Sanitation has their main office in the premises, the head of the agency in the local government, Sanitarian Titilayo Lawal said the department is aware of the act but cannot do anything about it since it is perpetrated by hawkers around the palace square.
Titilayo disclosed that anybody could enter the palace anytime as the gate is open for all, however, these bad habits are done after office hours, adding that the department has no authority to stop the open defecation and dumping of refuse within the palace.
While asked if she is aware of the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the premises, Titilayo claimed that the department was short of manpower which has in turn reduced the efficiency of the department.
She added that only two volunteers from O’cleantechnical committee who joined in 2018 are with the department for the whole Local Council which according to her is not enough to carry out the whole job.
The three staffs, according to her, are also performing the administrative and operational services.
While speaking with workers at the vehicle license department which is opposite the dumping ground, they claimed that they are less concerned about the place, saying they only sweep their offices and corridor.
One of the workers who did not mention her name said, “We don’t know anything about that place, this is our office and we only sweep this place and our corridor. Some of the people at the market may come and dump refuse or defecate here after we have gone home.”
A trader at the gate of the palace who pleaded anonymity divulged that, though the observation was true, but the local government has never done anything about it, adding that it is the students (members of ONSU) that always clean the place yearly.
She disclosed that some of the traders normally send their children to the place to defecate saying she could not ascertain if they usually park it when they are done.
However, the sanitation officer in the council promised to do something about the place, saying that the department will work on it with immediate effect.
