Ibadan, you are too old to be this DIRTY

Ibadan.

Forget all the avoidable denseness that Governor ‘Booda Isiaka‘ Ajimobi spilled some weeks ago, in fact, also forget the ever-alluring insignia of flawless Amala pitched graciously inside the flora and fauna of Gbegiri; FILTH, is now the only “konstituted otoriti” (constituted authority) that I see constituting babanla nuisance in Eba-Odan, alias, Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo state, Nigeria. And, how sad.

In the 4 years my family has stayed in Ibadan, for its geographic central-ness in the southwest and for academic purposes, the past 3 months have been the only time I’ve had to stay in the city at a stretch without travelling much (hello Fatherhood!), so, I’ve moved around a lot.

Now, while moving around, apart from the fact that one is stung by a cynosure of a capital city gasping glaringly for aesthetic breath, which is a fact that bemuses; the fact of filth, is what exasperates.

Mehnnn, Ibadan is dirty, Ibadan people are dirtying Ibadan, and the government seems cool with it…No?

Yesterday, while coursing through Iwo road to Ojoo, filth was used as external decor for the entire span of that long road. A sight locked deep in neanderthal nuance. I mean, in Ibadan, on major highways, waste and trash is dumped in the middle of the road, and I can’t wrap my head around that, in fact, it knocks out my balance.

I first noticed this horrible hobbit habit in a place called Bodija, that was the day it settled into my awareness. The ‘effrontery of dirt’ makes people dump trash, not even in their backyards, not even in a designated and overflown trash site, not even in the drainage paths of their front-yards (as practised by our typically filthy selves), but in the middle of roads bordered by residential areas?…haaaaa! That’s just the “Yao Ming” of it, the height!

Speaking, no, ranting about this disturbing sights to a group of much older friends inside the University of Ibadan, I was told that this dirt situation was actually worse before.
I was shocked, thinking – so, what I see now is the “better”? An “improved” condition? Jesu!

I know of a fact that capital cities like Abeokuta and Lagos have successfully driven past constituted filth to a tenable degree, they have removed it from the basic needs like good roads, affordable shelter and basic education, things that are rocket science to us. And so, I really don’t know why Ibadan is still like this.

While it is a shameful thing that an ancient city like Ibadan is being dirtied by its own, I believe the Government in the state has no excuse for this at all, especially when the option of enforcement has been used successfully to curb such nuisance in neighboring states. At a point in Gbenga Daniel’s Ogun state, I remember that you must be ready to pay a fine not less than 25,000 Naira if you were caught dumping waste in non-designated dump sites, no matter how overflown.

Apart from the dent this gives to the image of Ibadan, can we choose to even risk not considering the environmental and health implications of it a bit? Ha!

I’m sure I don’t have to reel off many ways through which the Oyo state government can curb this happening shame and keep this Ibadan at least “Nigerian” percent clean, not below Nigerian, abeg, at least. The empirical examples abound around, if nothing pops up from the head, at least, just ENFORCE!!!

Before we talk about a needed aesthetic touch that’ll preserve the historic ambience of Ibadan with urban oomph, and make it a really befitting capital city, please, anyone who sabi Booda Isiaka should tag him or any of his alagbada aides here oh. ..Ibadan should be kept clean, na their job!

I mean, nitori Olorun (for God’s sake), all I wanted to do yesterday was chow Amala and Tinu-eran yesterday at Ose Olohun Skyelolo, but the filthy sights just made me lose appetite, juss laik dat. …o gaaaaa oh!

PS: Ibadan though, is a nice place to live in – food, relative peace, unadulterated Yoruba, and a truckload of laughter per hour. Waa rerin shaa ni…LOL