SPECIAL REPORT: How Indiscriminate Refuse Dump Is Crippling Businesses In Kano

By Victor Christopher @iamvictorcool

Auwalu Ahmad was one of the landlords at Kantudun Madabo community in Dala Local Government Area of Kano till late second quarter of this year.

But the status changed on the 5th of June when he sold his house – not for bankruptcy – because of the uncontrollable heaps of refuse dump site close to the house.

Auwalu, who has now moved to a neighbouring community, Dan Dishe, in the same LGA shares his experience.

“I lived there for 12 good years. Everything they dumped in that refuse ended up in my house. One time, I got home and found a pop wrapped in nylon in the compound, then I decided to sell the house and moved out”.

I’m enjoying this new house I bought because I no longer experience such challenges”, he adds.

At IBB Road by the popular Kwari Market, a fabric seller, Shafi’u Dan Gezawa laments low patronage due to the proximity of his shop to a heap of refuse dump sites as its odour is chasing his customers away.

“I sell fabrics here, and before they started dumping refuse here business was going well, but because of the smell coming out of the waste, all the customers no longer come here. Right now there’s a dead dog inside the refuse and if it gets rotten, body can stand here”.

It is quite unfortunate that free roads passed by road users in the morning can suddenly become refuse dump sites in the evening, due to lack of garbage containers and untimely response of the state waste management agency.

At Court Road dump site, refuse has taken over some parts of the road close to one of the approved dump sites, hence causing public disturbance.

A shop owner in the area, said “The smell is serious, and aside from the smell, people do tend to dump sewage products here, so whenever it rains the entire sewage product comes down to the road and it flows down to our shops”.

Scavengers are also not helping the matter while hunting for recycling materials with their naked hands despite its health implications. One of them, Musa Hamza Funtua say the job is their only mean for survival.

“I do come here to get what to feed myself and my family. A day if sold what I picked, I go home with over N3,000”.

When asked how he protects himself from sharp objects, Funtua said “He wears boots and gloves”.

The Chairman of Scavengers at Court Road, Bashir Mai-Rice, links the indiscriminate refuse dump outside the dump site to the cart punchers that are collecting the refuse from residential areas.

“The major problem is from the people collecting refuse from residential areas. They are the ones who dump the waste outside the dumping sites. But we usually tell them to take their waste inside whenever we around”.

Indiscriminate refuse disposal is no longer new to Kano residents, but the trend of turning strategic locations in the city to dump sites is alarming. Yet, there is no hope in sight.

According to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria generates over 32 million tonnes of waste annually with plastic accounting for 2.5 million tonnes.

Sadly, 83 percent of the total volume of land-based plastic waste ends up in the ocean and dams.

No doubt, waste has its health hazards; unfortunately, its prospect of turning waste to wealth has not been earnest in the state.

Kano government had in May 2021 concessioned the Kano State Refuse Management Board REMASAB to Capegate Investment Company for 20 years to turn Kano waste into wealth.

The duo agreed to generate 10 MegaWatts of electricity from the 96,000 tonnes of waste in 2022, and 150MW in the next 5 years. Unfortunately, the shaky deal could not see the light of the day.

When contacted, the Managing Director of REMASAB, Ahmadu Haruna Zago declined comment on the Capegate deal, hence renewing commitment to keep Kano clean.

“Well, I’m not aware of the agreement, but we have evacuated the refuse dumped at France Road Area in Sabon Gari, Galadima Road, New Road, and Beruit Road”.

According to Zago, “The State Government has repaired 7 trucks at the sum of N800m, aside the 10 trucks handed to the agency to keep Kano clean”.

However, as Kano residents appeal to the government to place garbage containers in the affected locations to ease refuse collation, while waiting for innovation to convert the organic wastes in the city.