Araromi Market, Ibadan’s biggest auto spare parts market at Agodi-Gate is a colossal eyesore. In the earsplitting expanse of heavy metals and noisy hagglers, a rain-fed stream, now severely marred by waste – and neglect, silently seeps by, carrying a repulsing stench in its wake.
The sight is a disheartening spectacle; plastic and metal wastes strewn across the channel of water, heaps of litter piled along the stream-bed being snouted by pigs, a pungent scent that hung around the surrounding, and a pervading sense of neglect by the occupants that has allowed the dreadful situation to breed.
Amidst the desolation, a sense of hopelessness hangs heavy. The seemingly irreversible damage to the land casts a bleak shadow over the market community. Speaking to locals revealed a collective sigh of resignation, as they witness their surroundings transform into a wasteland.
Mustapha, who manages a welder shop next to the horrible scene, admitted that the occupants of the community are responsible for the adversity.
“In this community, as the government strives to create a solution, the people will ruin the efforts. It was even worse than this before. In January when all these shops were engulfed in a midnight fire, government officials came – even the Governor himself came in February. The gutters were cleared. But look at it now. People kept throwing waste inside it.”
However, Jamiu, who manages the next store, was critical of the government’s intervention.
“The waste that was cleared weren’t taken away. They were left on the stream-bed in heaps. That’s why there are heaps of waste products everywhere. Rainwater also brought some from distant locations.
“Whenever there’s rain, people come out to dump refuse. Everyone here is guilty of that. But it is not their fault – there’s no other waste disposal option.”
There are no measures in place to curb these practices. In fact, when asked about the effects of the grave odor, locals appeared indifferent. A woman, who grinds grains next to the site assured our writer that they were used to it, while Mr Rashidi, a motorcycle spare parts dealer reiterated that they had no other choice.
He said: “What do you want us to do? We have stopped burning waste since the fire incident in January. We won’t eat our refuse, and we can’t take them home.”
At the core of the market, the soil mourns in its own degradation, of which, apparently, the natives do not know the implication. A wooden bridge over the stream creaks under the weight of hundreds of passers-by, none of which make a slight indication of notice, interest or concern about the eyesore.
Despite the lack of concern by the locals, the importance of Araromi Market cannot be overlooked. In addition, the sight and the stench is a major blight on the image of Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo. Hence, strict regulatory measures need to be put in place and enforced to control waste disposal.
The market echoes with virtual voices of a call for change. The Oyo State Ministries of Environment and Health are implored to work together with local activists, market leaders and occupants to salvage the situation. Awareness campaigns, provision of proper waste disposal options, strict regulations, and imposing of penalties on individuals and businesses that violate the regulations are steps that can be taken to salvage Agodi-Gate, Ibadan.
Farouk Ojo For IbadanCity ANNOUNCER
