WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT OUR FILTH?

You see,  I stood on the foot bridge at Oshodi on Wednesday afternoon and couldn't help but take these pictures. 

Why are we this filthy in Nigeria? We litter and dump refuse everywhere;  rail tracks, highways, drainages,  shared compounds, canals,  lagoons, markets etc. Gaise said in his song 'Little drops' about some Nigerians;  "o mu pure water,  o só sí gutter, àgbàrá dé o wá ń pariwo Fásholá" which translates to mean that a fellow drinks the content of a sachet of water and thereafter discards the undegradable material into the drainage system. Such a move eventually causes a flood in the rainy season leaving the perpetrator to scream the name of the governor and accuse him of failing in his duty. 

Why do we litter?  Can we stop littering by simply listening to repeated radio jingles or do we need a form of iron fist to enforce discipline?  

I am of the opinion that many Nigerians are already cast in their ways and it is nearly impossible to remould us;  I believe that some force is required to handle this unfortunate situation because we have been used to filthy environments for decades now and won't suddenly desist by listening to jingles and appeals. My opinion. 

The mentality that government or whatever applicable authority would clean up the mess we generate needs to be jettisoned.  We as a people must realise that it is equally our responsibility to control waste generation and evacuation where we live,  work,  worship or just hang out.  I can't understand why anyone will consume food or drink in his car and then discard associated paper,  plastic bags or bottles out of fast moving vehicles or into drainages. Children more often than not copy the acts of their parents so a child who litters will most likely have a dirt distributing parent.  We need to train our children both at home and in schools. 

Our environmental laws should be enforced and there should be punishment for breaking such laws. It's not enough for locals at coastal communities to extort fun seekers at beaches while they have no sense of duty to ensure that their source of revenue is kept clean. We have to continuously educate our people on appropriate waste disposal practices and the possibility for recycling.  

I understand that a lot is down to governments at all levels but as individuals, we have a lot to do to ensure that our micro spheres of influence are adequately policed to ensure that we collectively cut down on our waste generation and to reinforce a culture of cleanliness. 

Littering around a rail track?  That is sad.  If we exposed all of our behind in the media; we wouldn't even object to the revival of the "war against indiscipline" as put forward by the president.  We all surely need that discipline.