Increased numbers of beggars and heaps of stinking refuse
at the Ikotun Central Roundabout in Lagos State are giving Ikotun residents a
cause to worry.
No fewer than 50 beggars daily seek alms at the roundabout
where about 10 heaps of decaying refuse ooze stench.
The roundabout connects about 10 communities on Lagos
Mainland.
Many commuters alight at the roundabout or board vehicles
from there to their various destinations including Egbeda, Igando, Abaranje,
Ejigbo, Ijegun and Isheri Osun.
The beggars, mostly women and children, sit on the refuse
and seek alms from pedestrians and motorists.
The beggars and the stinking refuse, besides reckless
driving, cause heavy traffic on the roundabout.
Some residents and commuters in Ikotun said that the
beggars were constituting a nuisance while the stench emanating from the refuse
had become unbearable
A clearing agent, Mr Abiodun Ajayi, said that he had
abandoned the route because of the situation.
“My worry is the beggars who disturb motorists trying to
go through thick traffic. I could no longer tolerate it; so I had to change my
route.
“The government should do something about these because
they are a nuisance to the community,” he said.
Mrs Blessing Ibekwe, who owns a cake shop near the
roundabout, also disclosed that the stench from the refuse had become a source
of worry.
Miss Rita Oburota, a school teacher, who plies the route
daily, appealed to the Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area to address
the situation to avoid an epidemic.
A petty trader on the roundabout, who simply identified
herself as `Mama Shade’, said that the presence of beggars and the refuse
denied her patronage.
She said, “Many people have stopped buying from me because
they said it is not hygienic to buy goods near heaps of refuse.
“I am trying to get another spot for my market.”
A worker in the LCDA, who pleaded anonymity, said that the
beggars had been sent away several times but they returned.
“These beggars are stubborn, they will always find their
way back because of what they get from the people,” he said.
A generator seller near the roundabout, Mr Jude Udemba,
advised the council to plant flowers on the roundabout as a strategy to send
the beggars away.
“If the government plants flowers on Ikotun Roundabout as
in some other parts of Lagos, the beggars will have no space to hang around,”
he said.
The Information Officer, Igando/Ikotun LCDA, Mr Tope Kuku,
said that the council did not have the capacity to relocate the beggars.
“The council does not have what it takes to take them away;
where do we take them to?
“The state government made efforts to take them away but
these people are stubborn,” he said.
He urged the state government to provide the council with
the means to evacuate the beggars and the heaps of refuse.
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