Efforts of the Lagos State Government at making the state clean and free from all sorts of environmental nuisance is yet to be felt at Obalende as the under the bridge across the area have been turned to public toilet by social miscreants popularly called area boys and some destitute.

This situation has made the residents of motorists, commuters and traders and area to call on the chairman of Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area, Mr. Adewale Adeniji and the state governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, to ensure the place is cleared and those found of defecating there are brought to book.

Those who spoke with Lagos Bulletin said the situation call for urgent attention to avoid imminent outbreak of epidemic, while pointing accusing fingers at area boys, destitute and some roadside mechanics as responsible for the mess.

They appealed to the council chairman to ensure that public toilets are built in the area to ensure that such act of indiscriminate defecating of public places is stopped.

According to Mrs. Yemisi Abogunde, a trader, Obalende is a transit point for so many people going to different places on Lagos Island and anybody could be pressed at any time and in a situation where there is no public toilet, any available place would serve such purpose.


She urged the council authorities to try and build enough toilets, which she said, would also serve revenue generation for the local government.

Another resident, who craved for anonymity, accused security operatives for the trend, saying that if they have been arresting people caught in the act, others would have stopped the mess.

He advised local government officials concerned to work with security agents to bring the ugly act to a halt.

This medium investigation revealed that apart from under the bridges that were messed up with faeces, motor parks, major roads, bridge tops and drainage channels are also not left out in the mess.

—Paul Iyoghojie