These filth-ridden motor parks

RECENTLY, a media report on the state of motor parks in Lagos State painted a picture of grime and filth. From major motor parks such as Iyana-Iba to Mile 2 and Obalende, Oshodi, Iyana-Ipaja, Agege, Berger, Iyana-Oworo, Ojota and Ketu, among others, the absence of waste bins was an eyesore, with the parks effectively transformed into dumpsites. According to the report, “plastic bottles, food wrappers, and discarded newspapers were scattered haphazardly across the landscape, while the strong stench of decaying garbage intertwined with the fumes of idling vehicles, creating an oppressive atmosphere that clung to the crowded spaces like an unwelcome veil.”

Actually, the picture in Lagos is a reflection of the malaise that afflicts the entire country. Nigeria’s motor parks, which are often run by transport unions, have been cesspools of filth for years. They are, for want of a better phrase, “cholera/disease joints.” Go to many of the so-called motor parks in any of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory and you will wonder what is really going on. At the FCT, passengers have complained about the parks in Nyanya, Jabi, Utako, Garki, Area one, Zuba and Gwagwalada, among others, for years. Across the country, the situation is almost always the same: there is a near universal climate of stench. And when it rains, the situation is worse.  Apart from the indescribably filthy atmosphere, there is also the stench of marijuana and hard drinks, with apparently inebriated drivers often grabbing the wheels and making intra and inter-state runs in dirty outfits. The picture is soul-crushing.

Early in the morning, traders selling hard drinks dot the parks and most drivers patronise them. Criminals also reportedly use some of the parks as hideouts because hard drugs are sold there. It can be no wonder, then, that whenever there is a slight misunderstanding between groups in the parks, weapon-wielding thugs emerge from nowhere and start wreaking havoc. There are also official transport thugs operating in the parks known in the South-West as agbero. Willy nilly, passengers bear the brunt of the extortion of bus operators by these ubiquitous thugs. In conduct and appearance, the agbero are filthy, and it is clear that they are a major contributor to the noxious environment in the parks.

Sadly, even when state governments make conscious efforts to modernise the parks and change the orientation of the drivers, they are met with resistance. For instance, during its eight-year tenure in Ondo State, the Olusegun Mimiko administration created state-of-the-art motor parks called “drivers’ airports.” The parks were like tourist centres. The environment modeled after the typical airport ambience was superb, and passengers watched TV in arrival/departure lounges while waiting for their buses to be filled up. But even then, the transporters who used the facilities did not always reciprocate the government’s good gesture by keeping the parks sparkling clean. Currently in Oyo State, the Seyi Makinde government has built state-of-the-art motor parks to  make travelling into and out of the state a pleasant experience, improve the traffic situation, and ensure the safety of lives. Compared to others across the country, these parks present a fairly decent picture that is worthy of emulation. But the picture elsewhere leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It is as if driving as a profession is meant to be seen as a dirty man’s job, even though the transport unions rake in stupendous sums of money on a daily basis and the executives live like kings in the parks, feasting while the environment around them reeks of stench.

If anyone needed any evidence that the union leaders in these parks remain recalcitrant, it is provided by the statement by one of the union leaders in Lagos State who blamed the ugly situation in the parks on passengers. Hear him: “Many of the time, it is the passengers that are responsible because they will enter a bus, eat gala and drink Coca Cola and just dump everything inside the bus. When the bus driver gets back to the park, he will sweep his vehicle and also dump everything there. So, when you look at it, you will realise that the passengers are the ones to be blamed for this. But I also believe if we have small waste bins inside our vehicles, that will eradicate this. You cannot really blame us if you think the environment is not clean enough because we ensure that this place is cleaned every day, but can we caution passengers not to throw their waste about? We cannot do anything about that except we have a proper waste disposal we want them to use.”

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What is stopping the drivers from having waste disposal bins in their buses? And why do most parks lack waste disposal facilities, looking and smelling like dumpsites? Officials of the unions in the motor parks aren’t exactly averse to collecting humongous levies from their members, so why leave them in a deplorable condition? It is time the government took decisive action to rescue the parks. The regulatory agencies must rise to the occasion. In particular, the various ministries of environment must ensure that the parks operate within the ambit of the law. There is nothing objectionable about sanitary inspectors visiting the parks and enforcing compliance with environmental rules. The government must know that proper disposal of waste is not only an environmental and health imperative; it is also an economic imperative. For instance, Lagos State is reported to produces an estimated 5.46 million tonnes of waste with only about 40 percent of what was generated collected and disposed of properly, while 60 percent litter the streets and public spaces. The waste that litters motor parks and other public spaces is a great source of wealth when properly harnessed.

Governments across the country should not hesitate to shut down filthy motor parks. Parks should not be vectors of filth; they should be decent areas that people  will be eager to visit and not merely tolerate because of their travel needs.