Nigeria’s Odorous Reputation: Open Defecation Plagues Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Leaving Road Users at the Mercy of Foul Stench and Pollution

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Nigeria’s odorous reputation for widespread open defecation seems to have come to stay. This sordid act is perpetrated with impunity along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, from Kara to the New Garage bus stop end. The Highway medians and roadsides are splattered with foul-smelling, congealed human waste, which leaves pedestrians and road users at the mercy of intolerable stench and environmental pollution.

Amid the misty dawn of that Wednesday morning, a driving instructor, Samuel Bewaji, left home for his workplace at the Isheri area of the Lagos/Ogun State border. Full of hopes and expectations for the day, he made to cross the three-lane carriageway at the New Garage Bus stop, at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. As soon as he got to the road median demarcating the carriageway, his sight was assailed by splotches and litters of faecal waste and he was forced to cover his nose due to the poignant stench that hung thickly in the air. All that Bewaji, who now had a scowl on his face, could do was shake his head, release some spittle and hurry away. The ugly sight increased the pace he began with before crossing the expressway. After crossing the remaining part of the three-carriage way to the New Garage end, close to his office, he seemed to regain his composure.

Speaking with our correspondent, he said having to pass through the polluted median, coupled with safety concerns of crossing the busy road was a challenge he faced daily. “While crossing, if you don’t watch your steps, you’ll step into the faeces. The stench of the place is terrible. Most of the people hanging around this area are homeless and they come to the middle road late at night to mess up everywhere,” he lamented. Still pissed at the sight he had beheld and shaking his head intermittently as he spoke to our correspondent, Bewaji blurted, “In fact, I couldn’t swallow what I was eating again. At Kara, the situation is worse such that open defecation is practiced in broad daylight as against here, where it is done mostly at night.” The driving instructor called on the Ogun State government to clear the excreta and construct a pedestrian bridge to ensure the safe crossing of pedestrians.

A few meters away from where Bewaji encountered the messy median, a middle-aged man stopped abruptly, zipped down and openly urinated. Blatantly ignoring the angry stare from pedestrians trying to cross the road and also turning his back on motorists caught in the gridlock which had become synonymous with axis, a dispatch rider, identified as Friday, parked his motorbike and openly urinated by the roadside. Seeming relieved and glad to have done the act before continuing his Lagos-bound trip, Friday claimed that he had to carry out the act there because “there was nowhere else to pee.” When asked why he did not request to use the toilet inside a petrol station which was close to where he carried out the act and had earlier refilled his fuel tank, he claimed to always avoid “public toilets for fear of contracting infection. According to him, whenever he goes on his all-day trip around Lagos making deliveries, he answers the call of nature in the bushes around.

Based on observation and interaction with many people, including traders, who live in the area, open defecation is mainly perpetrated in the night or before dawn. It has also been said that people who do it are mostly homeless persons, traders, pedestrians, and others. It is said to be worse in areas with no public toilet. Though our correspondent got to the area before 6 am, no one was seen defecating in the median, however, the sight and smell of fresh faeces hung thickly in the air, confirming that the act was done in the dead of the night. However, as this correspondent went from the Berger axis of the median to the New Garage, Kara and OPIC axis, pockets of faeces littered the stretch amid dirt and pools of stagnant water. Interestingly, around that time, some homeless persons residing on and under the pedestrian bridge at Berger bus stop and under the bridge at Magboro could be seen discreetly having their baths while evading the light beams from the motorist’s headlights.

A revenue collector at New Garage, Ganiyu Shonubi, said that those who conduct ‘legitimate’ activities around the area are complicit in defacing and polluting the environment with faeces. Although claimed to only work for a few days at the park, he and other colleagues make use of the public toilet at the back of a nearby pharmacy. True to his words, a pharmacy was located close to the roundabout where most of them were seated, but a sign indicating the presence of a public toilet was missing. Still bent on ensuring that those who conduct their businesses at the garage are not implicated in open defecation, Shonubi alleged that passersby were those responsible for the faeces dotting the median. A few meters away from where Shonubi was seated stood an uncompleted public toilet with a yellow roof. A tour of the facility showed that it had been abandoned and not in use. However, the back was filled with dirt and stagnant water; evidence that early morning baths were being taken there. “They mess that place up and this continues because we don’t have enforcement officers to arrest them. These people would come very early in the morning and late at night to defecate around here,” were the responses of Ajeet Yerima, a security guard at Sparklight Estate when asked about the faeces that littered the median, which was a few meters away from his duty post. “As an African man, I have learned to endure the smell and all,” he said with a shrug. He insisted that only enforcement by government agencies can dissuade those who perpetrate the sordid act. He explained that louts and homeless persons are responsible for open defecation in the axis, adding that they carry out the act under the cover of darkness. He, however, said the distance of public toilets at Kara to the road and their filthy state deter passersby from using the facilities.

According to a civil engineering website, Allaboutcivil.org, a median, which could be made of concrete or asphalt, depending on the design and function of the road, was important in ensuring traffic safety by providing a physical barrier between opposing traffic and reducing the risk of head-on-collisions. In simple terms, road medians are barriers between opposing movement of vehicles to prevent accidents. But the function of the road median seems to have been defeated along this stretch as the facility now serves as an open defecation hub.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, in 2015, 892 million people worldwide still practiced open defecation, while only 2.9 billion used a safely managed sanitation service. UNICEF’s 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene report stated that 48 million Nigerians, that is 23 per cent of the population, practice open defecation. The report further indicated that despite efforts of the government and partners at ending open defecation, the rapidly growing population is dwarfing the gains made so far. Based on the report, access to WASH services in institutions and public places, especially in schools, health facilities, markets, and motor parks was 11, 6 and 4 per cent, respectively. It further revealed that the North Central accounted for 47 per cent of open defecation in the country, while the South West – 24 per cent; South-South, 23 per cent; South East, 22 per cent; North East, 17 per cent and Northwest 11 per cent. “This suggests a huge neglect of WASH programming in Nigerian institutions, thereby impacting educational attainment, health costs, livelihoods, and ultimately, the country’s economic development,” the report stated in part. It went on to note that people in rural areas, which make up 31 per cent, were four times more likely to practice open defecation than those living in urban areas. “Despite the increase in the number of people with access to basic sanitation services, the proportion of people practicing open defecation has barely changed since 2019, with the number increasing from 46 million in 2019 to 48 million in 2021,” it added. Interestingly, open defecation is not just a rural problem but also an urban issue, as evidenced by the situation along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The prevalence of open defecation along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, particularly from Kara to the New Garage bus stop end, is a testament to the failure of sanitation efforts in Nigeria. The foul-smelling, congealed human waste that litters the highway medians and roadsides is not only a health hazard but also a disgrace to the nation. The sight and stench of open defecation have become a daily reality for pedestrians and road users, who are forced to endure the intolerable conditions.

It is clear that the current approach to addressing open defecation in Nigeria is not working. The government and relevant stakeholders must take urgent action to tackle this issue. This includes clearing the excreta, constructing public toilets, and enforcing sanitation regulations. Additionally, public awareness campaigns should be carried out to educate the public on the dangers of open defecation and the importance of proper sanitation practices.

The prevalence of open defecation along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is a reflection of the larger problem of open defecation in Nigeria. It is essential that the government and relevant stakeholders prioritize sanitation and hygiene to ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for all Nigerians. The time for action is now..