₦airaland Forum

lordm:
Good topic, Nigerians are very dirty

BeforeJuly:
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of indoctrination—when done right, it shapes habits that last a lifetime. Take, for example, the Keep Lagos Clean campaign launched by Governor Fashola in 2008. That initiative left such a deep impression on me that, to this day, I find it nearly impossible to litter. No matter how small the trash in my hand, I hold onto it until I find a bin—whether outside or at home. On rare occasions, I dispose of biodegradable waste like paper or edibles I snack on in gutters, but never plastic or anything non-degradable.

Now to the point of this rant: Why are Nigerians so frustratingly careless when it comes to waste disposal? It baffles me daily. I watch people wind down their car windows to fling entire plastic bottles onto the streets, gutters, and sidewalks without a second thought. Every time I step outside, I witness this behavior over and over again—so normalized that no one even bats an eye. It’s not just uneducated people doing this; even well-dressed, seemingly refined young men and women casually toss trash out of moving danfos, BRT's and private cars.

And then there’s the excuse I hear all the time: “Well, the government hasn’t provided enough public bins.” Fair enough, but how hard is it to hold onto a piece of trash for a few extra minutes until you find a bin? I’ve done this a million times—it’s inconvenient sometimes, sure, but it’s not impossible. It all boils down to discipline and respect for the environment you live in.

But here’s the thing—even those who do throw their trash in bins still somehow manage to do it wrong. Have you ever walked past a public dustbin and seen trash scattered all around it? Some people don’t even bother to push their waste inside; they just dump it near the bin, as if the ground around it is an extension of the bin itself. And when the bin gets full, what happens? They keep stacking garbage on top like it’s a balancing game, until the wind or rain scatters it everywhere again.

How many people actually think, "This bin is full, let me look for another one” or “Let me bring out a garbage bag to contain the overflow”? Almost nobody. Because as long as they can say, “Well, I threw my trash in the right place”, they feel no responsibility for the mess.

And that’s the deeper issue—too many Nigerians live with a bare minimum mentality. We only do the absolute least required to feel good about ourselves, never going an inch beyond that. We blame the government for everything, yet we refuse to make the smallest effort to improve our own surroundings.

Have you ever noticed how quickly Nigerians will transform their own personal space into something clean and presentable? Their houses, their cars, their offices—immaculate. But once they step outside, they suddenly lose all sense of responsibility. “It’s not my business,” “It’s not my property,” “Government should fix it.” Well this is one of the reasons why our streets are filthy, why our public spaces are decaying, and why, despite all the potential in this country, we still live in dysfunction.

The way we dispose of our waste is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals and, collectively, as a society. Compare Nigeria—where littering is second nature—to countries where people make a conscious effort to dispose of waste properly. The difference is stark. Nigeria is already difficult to live in; must we add filth to the misery? Imagine how much more bearable life here would be if our streets weren’t drowning in garbage.

If you’re guilty of careless littering, I urge you to make a conscious effort to change. Start by holding onto your trash until you find a bin. If a bin is full, don’t just dump your waste on top—find another bin or secure the trash properly. If you see overflowing garbage, take the initiative to add a bag or encourage others to dispose of their waste properly. These little things matter.

Once you practice this consistently, it becomes second nature. Small actions like this ripple into something bigger. Let’s do better. Abeg.

BeforeJuly:
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of indoctrination—when done right, it shapes habits that last a lifetime. Take, for example, the Keep Lagos Clean campaign launched by Governor Fashola in 2008. That initiative left such a deep impression on me that, to this day, I find it nearly impossible to litter. No matter how small the trash in my hand, I hold onto it until I find a bin—whether outside or at home. On rare occasions, I dispose of biodegradable waste like paper or edibles I snack on in gutters, but never plastic or anything non-degradable.

Now to the point of this rant: Why are Nigerians so frustratingly careless when it comes to waste disposal? It baffles me daily. I watch people wind down their car windows to fling entire plastic bottles onto the streets, gutters, and sidewalks without a second thought. Every time I step outside, I witness this behavior over and over again—so normalized that no one even bats an eye. It’s not just uneducated people doing this; even well-dressed, seemingly refined young men and women casually toss trash out of moving danfos, BRT's and private cars.

And then there’s the excuse I hear all the time: “Well, the government hasn’t provided enough public bins.” Fair enough, but how hard is it to hold onto a piece of trash for a few extra minutes until you find a bin? I’ve done this a million times—it’s inconvenient sometimes, sure, but it’s not impossible. It all boils down to discipline and respect for the environment you live in.

But here’s the thing—even those who do throw their trash in bins still somehow manage to do it wrong. Have you ever walked past a public dustbin and seen trash scattered all around it? Some people don’t even bother to push their waste inside; they just dump it near the bin, as if the ground around it is an extension of the bin itself. And when the bin gets full, what happens? They keep stacking garbage on top like it’s a balancing game, until the wind or rain scatters it everywhere again.

How many people actually think, "This bin is full, let me look for another one” or “Let me bring out a garbage bag to contain the overflow”? Almost nobody. Because as long as they can say, “Well, I threw my trash in the right place”, they feel no responsibility for the mess.

And that’s the deeper issue—too many Nigerians live with a bare minimum mentality. We only do the absolute least required to feel good about ourselves, never going an inch beyond that. We blame the government for everything, yet we refuse to make the smallest effort to improve our own surroundings.

Have you ever noticed how quickly Nigerians will transform their own personal space into something clean and presentable? Their houses, their cars, their offices—immaculate. But once they step outside, they suddenly lose all sense of responsibility. “It’s not my business,” “It’s not my property,” “Government should fix it.” Well this is one of the reasons why our streets are filthy, why our public spaces are decaying, and why, despite all the potential in this country, we still live in dysfunction.

The way we dispose of our waste is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals and, collectively, as a society. Compare Nigeria—where littering is second nature—to countries where people make a conscious effort to dispose of waste properly. The difference is stark. Nigeria is already difficult to live in; must we add filth to the misery? Imagine how much more bearable life here would be if our streets weren’t drowning in garbage.

If you’re guilty of careless littering, I urge you to make a conscious effort to change. Start by holding onto your trash until you find a bin. If a bin is full, don’t just dump your waste on top—find another bin or secure the trash properly. If you see overflowing garbage, take the initiative to add a bag or encourage others to dispose of their waste properly. These little things matter.

Once you practice this consistently, it becomes second nature. Small actions like this ripple into something bigger. Let’s do better. Abeg.