By Foluke Sijuwola Falayi
Nothing infuriates me more than seeing dirt on our streets. It baffles me why anyone would eat in a vehicle, whether commercial or private, then drops the sack, white or the black nylon, and other takeaway packs. Does your mind not caution you, each time you litter the road?
A few years ago, I was going out in the evening, when suddenly a private car overtook the tricycle I was in; dropping a nylon containing an empty takeout and pet bottles, on a well-known road. The tricycle I was in couldn’t catch up with the car, otherwise I would have given him my piece.
I wonder why many Lagosians maintain a nonchalant attitude towards the hygiene tradition. Are such Lagosians simply dirty? Anyone young or old, who litters the road is a filthy person.
If you happen to be a commuter like me and you go out early in the morning, you understand better. The dirt covers the streets like morning dew. The commuters have no choice but to walk on them. It is a scene nobody likes to see.
Why do people like to throw garbage on the streets? Do we normally ask ourselves every time we do? How do you feel, each time you liter the ground? Think about the implication, the long run consequence of flood, rendering people homeless and killing many.
Unfortunately, when you correct citizens about this vice, they either give you a name, abuse you or blame the government. I have indeed realised that human beings are difficult to govern. We all talk highly of developed countries, how someone can sleep or sit on their streets. Many Nigerians travel from time to time and they comply with the rules and norms of these nations they applaud. Some call them paradise, a place to be and all that.
If you can adhere to the standards of the nations while there, you can do same, here. You will agree with me; that charity begins at home.
While the sweepers sweep the streets late in the morning, you at times see passersby still littering the neatly swept ground. Too bad.
As a reader, you might say this does not concern you. You might sask: is this the pressing issue? It concerns everyone. It is a demanding issue. We all must ensure our surroundings are clean, as cleanliness is godliness. As for me, even if dirt will not result to flood, I will still not throw dirt on our roads.
Drivers, keep waste baskets in your vehicles. Government ,on the other hand, should enact a law that will make an offender pay a fine when he drops dirt on the ground. The law should be enforced. We can stop this habit. Let’s be part of the change. I desire to be, desire to be the agent of change as well. Eko o o ni baje.
