Why can't Lagosians complement Fashola's efforts?

By Abimbola Adelakun, Published: Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Nigerians have a somewhat very poor attitude towards public facilities. Because it is public property, we think it is nobody’s property. In Lagos now, some public repairs of facilities are going on. Of course, it is not adequate but at least the works give one some semblance of governance.

Now, the area where I live has some road construction going on. It has been on for about two years now and we all are frustrated. Just recently, they dug a gutter on the long stretch of road. The main road has not been completed and it is a nightmare for pedestrians but somehow, we manage to survive it. The gutter has been fixed however and water can flow on the road.

What I have noticed is that some very nasty Lagosians have turned the gutter into a refuse dump. Walk past their houses and shops that are close to this gutter and you find them throwing pieces of thrash into it. Maybe because it is a deep gutter they think that no matter the amount of thrash they throw in, it can never rise to the top. That is the point they get it backwards. It might not rise and fill the whole place but when it rains, it will wash off all the debris down the often sloping gutter and then deposit them in a pile somewhere thus constituting a problem for the environment.

Of course, Lagos (or Nigeria) is a hard place to live because of lack of basic infrastructure but as a people we should do something for ourselves too. We should try and meet government effort half way. After all, it is for our ultimate good.

Eko o gbodo baje!

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