By; Mercy Ojegbola
A growing sanitation concern at the entrance of the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, has drawn complaints from students and prompted responses from departmental executives and other stakeholders as an unattended trash bin continues to sit full during one of the busiest weeks of the semester.
The department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University and campus as a whole has gotten really busy as lectures intensify and the 6th week of lectures approaches. Departmental activities, like the ongoing Freshers Fair and freshers registrations has however added to the heavy traffic around the department lobby, where students constantly gather after classes and daily activities, with people moving in and out throughout the day.
The sight of the trash can, filled beyond capacity, right in front of the department has become difficult to ignore as it poses both health risks and makes a pictorial representation of neglect and lack of welfarism that has always been a burden to students on campus.
In an interview with a concerned student of the department, Atanda Praise, she stated that while the bin at the front of the department is a brilliant idea to enhance cleanliness, it is also important to ensure that “we don’t go back to what we are trying to avoid”.
According to her, “Nobody is saying that the bin should not be there, it is good but if we don’t take care of it, and it is like that, then there's no point, it can even pose hygiene risks to students. I think you know that some students eat at the lobby too.”
Another student from the department of English, Boluwatife complaining about the unpleasant site also stated that “ This trash here can cause bacteria which is not nice, people hang around here and it is possible that something falls and picking it up to use again can be harmful.”
Odukoya Greatness, also speaking on the issue says “It's like an embarrassment, it's not good enough,it should be packed constantly. When people see that the bin is full, they should stop throwing their dirt on the floor around it too. It's not healthy and ethical to find something like this around the department.”
“Other than the fact that it affects the appearance of the department, I mean, some freshers are just coming to the department for the first time, what kind of first impression are we expecting them to have?”
Another student added.
Speaking with the President of the department, Francis Fortunatus Ohacho, he acknowledged the sanitation issue and its impact on students.
“We are looking for ways to actually fix it up, in fact, about last week, we were looking for bags to pack it up ourselves, the only hindrance is where to put the dirt after packing it. We've made enquiries from the cleaners but we were told that it is not their duty and that there are some men in charge of packing it who have not been active for a while.”
On the way forward, the President mentioned that further attempts have been made about it but it has not really been yielding results.
“We later asked the cleaners for a place to dump it if we take it upon ourselves to pack it but we were told that the place is very far, around ETF side”
Francis, however, expressed concerns about the subsequent cleaning of the trash can and stated that packing the current one will only be a temporary solution, if the people in charge are still neglecting their duties.
“After packing this one, people will still put refuse and stuff in it again, if the people to do the job are not functional, and it appears there's nothing that can be done, we would have to get rid of the dustbin, our department is not a dump”.
He however assured that something will be done and they are in fact going to work on a long term plan after the Freshers Fair.
Speaking with the cleaner at the department, she affirmed that it is not the duty of the cleaners to park the refuse, she also mentioned that the men who are in charge might come around on Monday, December 1, 202. She added that the cleaners could be of help by disposing of the refuse if the student can pack it and pay them, explaining that the dump is very far from the department.
The HOD of the department of English, Prof. E.T.O Babalola, concerning this issue, stated that the people at Parks and Gardens are in charge of the trash bin.
“They are the ones you can reach out to. I don’t know why they have stopped packing”.
An attempt was made to reach out to the Director of Parks and Gardens, Pastor Ajiteru, who explained that “there's a contractor that is charged with the responsibility of casting out all the refuse, that's Guessmiant.
Speaking with the a representative Guessmiant environmental company, Mr God's will, He appreciated the attempt to reach out and promised that the refuse bin at the department of English lobby and other locations mentioned by NCBOAU correspondent including ODLT, Social sciences and White house would be taken care of latest by next week.
As the Freshers’ Fair in the department of English continues and academic activities heighten on campus, students await a sustainable resolution to the sanitation issue. The contractors from Guessmiant have assured that the refuse bin will be taken care of, but until concrete action is taken, the overflowing trash can remains a pressing reminder of the need for consistent maintenance and improved welfare within the department and the university as a whole.
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