Commuters in Mangoro area of Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State have been complaining over the conversion of a footbridge into an illegal garbage dumping site.
Our correspondent, who visited the footbridge on Thursday, reports that the footbridge is filled with solid waste, causing inconvenience to residents and commuters using the bridge.
Some commuters who spoke to PUNCH Metro said the bridge is currently the subject of dissatisfaction among both commuters and residents who use the bridge.
Adebayo Abraham, a resident, said residents and commuters were responsible for dumping garbage on the pedestrian bridge.
Abraham said: “The bridge does not encourage people to use it at all. There’s annoying dirt everywhere on the bridge and it’s kind of gross. But I don’t blame the people who put waste there; they do it because no one uses the bridge at all.
“The thing is, people who live here and pass through here, they throw garbage here, and I’m sure they know it’s very bad because they see garbage cans in this area every day, and yet they act like it’s a lawless country.” he concluded.
A commuter, identified simply as Joy, pleaded with the government to punish anyone who does not dispose of rubbish on the bridge in an acceptable manner.
“Everyone is guilty of throwing garbage on the bridge because everyone likes to throw dirt on the floor. Honestly, I can’t cross this bridge without covering my nose or spitting when walking here because of how dirty this place is.
“The only thing I can say is that people living in this environment should change the way they throw garbage around the bridge and the government should start arresting anyone who is seen throwing diets in the wrong place because in the current state of the bridge people rarely use it There’s no point in talking about the bridge since there’s dirt everywhere on the bridge. She said
When we contacted the Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Environment, Kunle Adeshina, he said the Lagos Waste Management Authority would clean the bridge and inform people where to properly dispose of garbage.
“We will do our best and contact the waste management authorities in Lagos to clean up the waste or the hygiene department of the ministry. They’ll send their agents there to go and clean the bridge. We will also monitor the bridge and also sanitize our people regarding garbage disposal,” Adeshina said.
