Lagos Primary School Pupils Walk Past Rotting Refuse Daily in Alimosho

For one Lagos parent, the problem is simple: children should not have to hold their breath to get into school.

The parent, who identified herself only as Princess, questioned why pupils at Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Primary School in the Alimosho Local Government Area should have to put up with the refuse piled in front of the building along Shasha Road.

"This is a very sad situation. Why should children be subjected to such an environment? The fact that this is a government-owned school should not mean that the pupils do not deserve a clean and healthy environment.

“Every child deserves to learn in a decent environment. It is painful that these children have to contend with this kind of stench before they can even enter their school. The authorities should do something urgently,” she said.

PUNCH Metro visited the school on Friday and saw pupils covering their noses as they walked past the heap on arrival. Some tried to avoid the smell as they made their way into the school premises. The same scene was repeated at closing time.

The refuse has reportedly gone uncleared for several weeks, and the smell from the decomposing waste often spreads into the school grounds, making the learning environment uncomfortable.

A member of staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity while citing privacy, said the situation has become increasingly uncomfortable, particularly for the pupils. "The smell is terrible, and it is difficult for us to pretend that everything is normal. The children inhale it every morning before getting into their classrooms, and the smell sometimes enters the school premises.

“We have been experiencing this for over six months. It is not good for the children to be exposed to this kind of environment, especially when they are supposed to be in school to learn. We want the authorities to come and evacuate the refuse before it causes a health problem,” the staff member said.

The concern extends beyond the school gate.

A resident who did not want his name published said the situation has also become a source of discomfort for people living and doing business around the area.

"The refuse has been there for months. My question is, why should it be allowed to accumulate for this long in front of a school where children come to learn every day? The children have been enduring it.

“The government should not wait until somebody falls sick before taking action. They should come and clear the refuse immediately,” he said.

Another resident, Kolapo Adekunle, said efforts to draw the attention of Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators and officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to the refuse had not yielded any result. According to him, the operators regularly visit the community to evacuate waste but have repeatedly failed to clear the heap in front of the school.

"We have done all we could to bring the refuse to the attention of PSP operators and LAWMA, but nothing has been done about it. Of course, they come around to evacuate waste in this area.

“Just about two weeks ago, we saw a LAWMA truck in front of the school, and we thought it was going to clear the refuse, but that did not happen. We were surprised that the waste was left there despite their presence,” Adekunle said.

He called on the relevant authorities to evacuate the refuse urgently.