Na wah! Lagos waste sweepers don come out with plenty matter wey dey gree dem belle. Dem dey shout say dem dey face serious harassment for di road, from motorists wey no get sense to roadside traders wey no sabi wetin clean mean.
During one recent episode of The Morayo Show, these hardworking people wey dey try keep Lagos clean share di gory gist wey dey pepper dem. One of dem, Kafilat, yarn how motorists dey park anyhow, and dem dey vex when she tell dem make dem no vex. ‘Some go park for roadside come tell me say I should go sweep another area,’ she talk.
Olatitoye Adeola join matter talk say residents go even carry dem refuse come dump am on di road wey dem don already clean. ‘Omo, when we talk to dem, dem dey ready to beat us! They say LAWMA bus no come pick dem dirt, even when we don finish work.’ Na wah!
Taiwo Ologunro no fit keep quiet too. She talk say after dem don clean, traders go just scatter di place again. ‘Na di elites for Lagos dey dirty di road pass, yet dem dey throw refuse for our head.’ She also call out di issue of open defecation wey dey make dem work harder. ‘We dey pack faeces go with our hands. Di stench no be am at all,’ she lamented.
Di struggle no end there o, Victoria Bamgbose talk how hoodlums dey give dem wahala while dem dey do di job. ‘When we dey sweep, dem go just dirty di place again, and many times we dey resweep under supervision.’ Fatimo Akinduro come chip in say sometimes dem dey clear rituals wey no make sense, like dead babies and goats. Dis na serious matter!
As e dey go, Kehinde Ajibade e sure say access to healthcare na wahala for dem too. ‘I go hospital for my uniform, dem dey shout for me! I sabi say dem dey stigmatize us because we dey wear our uniform,’ she talk. Kalejaiye Adenike come join dey share how people dey treat dem with no respect. ‘Some dey even go throw bin from their house straight for our body,’ she weep.
Now, no be say these people no dey receive small pay, but di lack of emergency assistance dey pepper dem well-well. If dem get accident, na only God fit help dem sometimes. Di LAWMA big man, Muyiwa Gbadegeshin, come talk say e dey aware of di risk wey sweepers dey face; dem dey try provide beta welfare for dem. ‘Di governor don approve health insurance for all our 16,000 sweepers!’ he talk.
Gbadegeshin come call on Lagosians to make we respect our sweepers better. ‘Whether you be doctor or big man, we na all human beings. Everybody matter.’
Dis show bring to light di serious wahala wey di people wey dey clean our city dey face every day, wey most times we no dey see or hear. Na time to give dem some love and respect!
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