SUBAIR
MOHAMMED
They sleep, wine and dine on refuse dump. Although they have the beautiful
image of what a comfortable life should be; but they are far from realising it due to
no faults of theirs. For years, they settled to live therein, work, copulate, procreate
and rearer their children in a filthy environment. Welcome to Akin Taylor Street
in Ilogbo, Ebute Metta (west), South-West Nigeria-mainland of Lagos State; a community built on
Apart from Akin Taylor Street being
known as hide-out for hoodlums whose existence and nefarious activities in the
area constitute a threat to peace and harmony to residents of the area, the
entire stretch of the street is built on a heap of refuse which of course is
hazardous to human health and morality.
What is of note is that these hoodlums
in their activities are not restricted to Akin Taylor alone. They constitute
menace to the whole of Ebute Metta and its environ. They harass residents at
will and rob them of their valuables, in fact, they consider themselves as lord
of the land as a result they roam the streets of Ebute Metta even at odd
hours.
In Akin Taylor, as unpleasant smell rent
the air, so do houses built of planks on refuse dump are scattered through the
length and breadth of the environment. Children playing on the street in filthy
atmosphere, while adult and carpenters engage in restoring and rebuilding the
damaged part of their building which was gutted by fire.
Recently, almost all buildings in Akin
Taylor Street were affected by a fire outbreak which according to an eye
witness was ignited by a candle light which they left aflame while they had all
gone to bed. Before they went to sleep in the night, they lit the candle to
illuminate darkness which had engulfed the whole environment, no thanks to the epileptic
electricity supply to the whole of Ebute Metta district. But rather than the candles
brighten the whole community, it darkened their existence, further compounded
their problems, caused pains and agony into their lives by destroying their
plank buildings, businesses and other properties. What a life!
According to an account by an eyewitness
“the fire was caused by a lit candle with fell off from its stand to spread out
and created havoc. The fire started at mid-night therefore nobody was awake to
see it happen until the damage had been done. It had rendered many homeless and
scores of properties had been destroyed before the arrival of fire fighters who
couldn’t access the scene of the fire incidence because of the swampy nature of
the land. Since the community is a swampy area and for the fact that refuse are
being dump there to fill it up, it was impossible for vehicles or trucks to
drive in , therefore were left to their fates.
‘’Our lives after the fire incidence have never being the
same. You can see things for yourselves. Many of us are just putting back into
shape our buildings. Do you know the amount of resources that will be committed
to this? It saddened my heart seeing things go bad but what can we do than to
resort to fate.” said Alabi taiwo, a resident and eyewitness in the fire
disaster that ravaged buildings in Akin Taylor.
In his submission, Taiwo emphasized the marshy
and untidy nature of the land and of course with refuse littering the entire area
as hindrance which makes living in the area much worse than anticipated.
With the volume of rainfall witnessed in
many state of the country, it is most likely that this year’s rainfall will be
more than the previous year. Considering the stench and filthy waters that are
generated from the dump site, what the environment would be like at the start
of rain is better imagine than experience.
According to George Anozie , a resident
in the area, “the surroundings in rainy season is so
bad that walking around is difficult, our legs will be soaked in mud and dirt. Even before the rain, the
ground is never dry, don’t forget it is a refuse dump site. It is so wet to the point
that those that could afford to buy rugs spread it on it in order to avert
direct contact with the dirt. In spite of the rug too, the situation remains
the same. I don’t know why we have not witnessed a major
outbreak of disease in the street. I think the good Lord is on our side for
keeping us healthy so far. With the kind of environment we live in , the stench
from the refuse dump and the sight of
the dirty environment where we live and raise our children, I wondered how we
have managed to stay healthy. But the truth need be told, our being here is not
by choice, I would say many of us are here because we cannot afford the
exorbitant rent charges in Lagos. How much do we pay as rent here? Can you
compare that with what obtain elsewhere? If we are to consider that, what
better and healthy environment are we expecting? What we pay as rent in Akin
Taylor says it all about our standard of living but we can only hope for the
best”
The poor conditions of living of
residents aptly explain the agony an
average Lagosian faced in term of securing accommodation in the state. For
people living and working in Lagos State, getting an accommodation comes with a
whole lot of financial responsible and commitment. Indeed, it’s like passing
through the eye of a needle.
“In term of encountering difficulties in
securing accommodation, I have never seen a state like Lagos” said Ayinde
Yekini.
Narrating the circumstance that warranted his movement
from Amukoko to Akin Taylor he said, “I
lived in Amukoko with my family until that fateful day when my Landlord came
with a quit notice for every of the tenants with the explanations that he had
sold the building. That was the beginning of my journey to where I am today.
Since that moment I tried to secure another apartment to no avail. The amount that
was being demanded by landlords was beyond what I could afford , therefore I
was compelled by my circumstance to come down to Akin Taylor where I was told
by the monarch that owns the land, that to get a space where I could erect my
apartment goes for N40,000. I was glad because I thought it was what I could
cope with, it’s just for me to get planks and ply woods and my accommodation
problem is settled. But with the situation on ground now, the bad atmosphere,
hoodlums and the sight of refuse dump on which most of the houses are built; I
don’t think I would want to stay here any longer, but the question remains,
where do I go from here considering the high rents that are being demanded in
Lagos?”.Yekini lamented.
Another problem faced by residents of
Akin Taylor is that of hoodlums as they terrorise innocent residents and also use
the area as their hide-outs. It was gathered that state security operatives on
many occasion had raided the area in search of suspects because Akin Taylor
Street is thought to be criminals’ den.
Tajudeen Oloyede once lived in Dawodu
lane, a nearby street to Akin Taylor. While he resided in Dawodu lane, he had
witnessed series of nefarious activities of these hoodlums.
“If you look critically at the arrangement
of the street, you will discover that it gives room for different kind of
vices. For instance, if a criminal is being chased into that area, it will be
impossible to get hold of him because once he finds his way into that
environment, you will find it difficult to locate where he has gone through. Custom
premise that is located also on Akin Taylor is another hide-out for hoodlums.
There is their base where they resume and close on a daily basis. And at night
they go in search of preys that they rob of valuables and go back into hidings.
I will suggest that the government should relocate residents of Akin Taylor to
a conducive environment. What kind of children could one train in such
unhealthy environment if not hoodlums? The atmosphere is not fit and healthy
for human habitation. It is full of stench and heaps of refuse while the land
is marshy and that is why many of them placed rug not only in their plank homes
but also on the refuse dump just to avoid contact with the dirt. But I think
that is not enough to check this problem. It is ideal for the government to
come in and help relocate residents in that area as this will check crime rates
and other social vices in the area” Oloyede concluded.
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