Major streets in Akure, the Ondo State capital, are currently overwhelmed by heaps of refuse, leaving residents to contend with unbearable stench, blocked drainage channels and growing fears of disease outbreaks.
The worst-hit areas include Arakale, Ijoka, Oke Aro, Aule, Orita Obele and the Odopetu Market axis behind the popular commercial car park on Arakale Road. In these locations, piles of garbage line both major roads and inner streets, while stagnant wastewater and persistent foul odours have become part of daily life for traders, commuters and nearby households.
What is driving the crisis
Findings indicate that the situation is driven by weak enforcement of environmental regulations, inadequate waste management infrastructure, insufficient evacuation trucks, and increasing reliance on informal disposal practices.
Many households still resort to open dumping, roadside disposal, burning, or burying waste within residential compounds instead of subscribing to approved waste collection services.
In markets such as Odopetu, traders have reportedly blocked drainage channels with waste and erected stalls directly beside refuse heaps, worsening sanitation conditions and obstructing water flow.
Government response and gaps
To improve sanitation, the state government enforces a monthly environmental sanitation exercise held on the last Saturday of every month between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Ondo State Waste Management Authority (OSWMA) are deployed to monitor compliance and sanction offenders.
However, investigations show that the monthly exercise has not adequately addressed the volume of waste generated daily by thousands of households, markets and businesses. Drains cleared during the exercise are often re-clogged, as evacuated waste sometimes remains by the roadside for days before collection trucks arrive.
Private waste operators now complement government efforts in estates, Government Reservation Areas and high-income neighbourhoods where residents can afford regular service fees. However, densely populated communities continue to struggle with irregular waste collection and widespread indiscriminate dumping.
Official reactions
Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Tob Loko, said the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy for environmental abuse. He urged residents to support Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s OUR EASE Agenda, which promotes a clean, healthy and disease-free environment.
Under the “Polluter Pays” principle, households and businesses are expected to pay for waste management services. Revenue generated is intended to support waste evacuation, truck maintenance and broader service delivery.
OSWMA Chairman, Mrs. Olayinka Alabi, described the situation at Odopetu as unfortunate. She said:
“They generated the waste, they must take responsibility by paying.”
She added that while other residents comply with payment for waste disposal services, traders in the affected areas must also do the needful, noting that access to the blocked canal remains a major operational challenge.
