Magboro overflows with filth as PSP abandons refuse collection

The residents of Magboro, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have lamented the abandonment of refuse collection in the area by the Private Sector Partnership operators, popularly known as PSP leaving the community filled with filth.

PUNCH Metro reports that some residents lamented the dirty situation in their community as they noted that the PSP operators have not shown up for over three months to clear the refuse.

 Our correspondent during a visit to the community on Friday, observed that some of the streets, usually bustling with activities, were no longer welcoming as they reeked of decaying garbage, with refuse piling up in waste bins.

Specifically, residents of the Abule Oba, Tosho, Gasline, and Makogi areas of Magboro had been left to grapple with mounting heaps of refuse which they said was because the PSP trucks failed to make their scheduled waste collection.

In separate interviews with our correspondent, some residents noted that attempts to reach the PSP operators to come and pack the refuse had been futile.

A resident of Abule Oba, Bola Adeyemi, told our correspondent that the operators blamed their faulty truck.

“It’s been over three months since we last saw a PSP truck here. We’ve called them several times, but all they tell us is that their truck is bad. How can a truck be bad for three months,” Adeyemi asked?

Another resident, identified simply as Olufunke, noted that residents had resorted to paying cart pushers to remove the trash.

“We have no choice but to pay these truck pushers,” she said as she pointed towards a group of young men hauling trash on makeshift carts.

“They are our only option, but they charge a lot, and they don’t always come. Some people just dump their trash by the roadside.”

A resident in the Makogi area who gave his name simply as Gbenga, told PUNCH Metro that the waste truck had not visited his street in a long time. “I don’t think I have seen their truck in over a month. It’s been a long time since they came to my street. People pay cart pushers to clear their refuse and pay about N1,500, N2,000, or N3,000.”

Meanwhile, our correspondent also observed that the situation in Abule Oba, Tosho, and some Makogi areas stands in stark contrast to other parts of Magboro, where residents reported more regular visits from the PSP.

“In our area, they come once a week, usually on Saturdays,” said Peter Adedayo from the Magboro-Akeran side. “We see the trucks come and go, but I can’t understand why they ignore other parts of the community.”

Another resident who lives in the Oke Afa area of Magboro also attested to the consistency of waste collectors in her area.

She said, “The PSP truck comes every week, usually on Saturdays. We have two trucks assigned to us.”

PUNCH Metro learned from some residents that the poor road conditions in these areas may have exacerbated the problem, making it difficult for PSP trucks to access these neighborhoods.

A man who identified himself as David, while lamenting, said, “The roads here are terrible, and it’s one of the reasons the PSP operators don’t come regularly. I have to burn my refuse, which is bad for my health,” he lamented.

Some residents have resorted to dumping their refuse by the roadside, leading to sights of garbage heaps and an unpleasant smell that pervades the air.

When PUNCH Metro reached out to the Community Development Committee, the spokesperson, Olatunde Oshinowo via a phone conversation with our correspondent over the weekend, confirmed the inconsistency of the PSP operators.

He also mentioned that the community had contributed money to buy a PSP truck but due to government arrangements, their truck was assigned to another location while a different truck was given to them.

“That is very true, there is an area that the PSP covers and there is an area that Magboro CDC also covers. We, the CDC, bought a truck for our community, but due to the government’s policy, our truck was reassigned. The PSP truck that was assigned to us hardly comes. We agreed in our CDC meeting that it is only when he comes that we should pay him because he doesn’t come often. People will bring out their dirt in black polythene bags and he will not come,” Oshinowo said.

Reacting to the situation, the Press Officer of the Ogun State Ministry of Environment, Rotimi Oduniyi, on Saturday, explained that there was a system in place to handle such issues.

“We attend to them. If any community says that the PSP doesn’t come, we have a customer care line. There are PSPs dedicated to them and they have their numbers. Anything they need, they should call them. We have linked them up with the community and the PSP that is servicing them. It’s an organised thing among the government, the PSP, and the community,” the Press Officer said.

Oduniyi emphasised the importance of cooperation between the residents and the waste collectors. “The structure in Ogun State has been in place for almost five years now. No community has complained to us that they have not been serviced. There is a PSP assigned to Magboro and they know them.”