The “Cleaner Lagos” initiative by the Lagos State Government is an initiative to rid Lagos and its environs of waste, thereby making it healthier for all inhabitants. Making Lagos clean, therefore, means that there needs to concerted efforts to ensure that dump sites are not only in abundance across the state but are kept in a safe manner.
On March 14, 2018, inhabitants of Lagos were faced with a rude awakening – the Olusosun dump site located in Ojota was engulfed in flames. Thick black smoke filled the air, thereby further polluting the environment, reducing visibility for motorists and passersby, and covering the entire area in a blanket of smog.
Dumpsites such as the one located in Olusosun which is filled with decomposing garbage often have a high concentration of methane gas. When mixed with carbon dioxide, high levels of methane concentration could lead to a fire outbreak, such as was recently witnessed.
This begs the question of what adequate measures are in place by the government to ensure that other sites located across the state do not experience the same occurrence that happened at Olusosun. Safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of citizens should be the primary concern of any government, and concerted efforts should be made to guarantee their safety.
Inhaling large amounts of smoke caused by methane gas certainly poses adverse effects on the health, safety, and well-being of citizens residing in Ketu and Ojota environs, and if nothing is done to salvage the situation, this continues to be a ticking time-bomb just waiting to explode.
Do you live in Ketu/Ojota, or do you have pictures, stories or reports to share regarding the fire incident from the dumpsite? What steps do you think should be put in place to prevent a recurrence? We will like to hear from you.