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LACKADAISICAL ATTITUDE; NIGERIA’S SELF MADE HURRICANE



LACKADAISICAL ATTITUDE; NIGERIA’S SELF MADE HURRICANE

By Bolaji Olaniba
While I think we are one of the luckiest and well placed races on world geography and climate, I believe we are not doing anything close to “much” or even ‘little” in safeguarding the integrity of our own environment in most cities across “Africa” in general and in Nigeria to be specific. Most of us are knowledgeable of the latest natural disaster; “hurricane Harvey” which struck the inhabitants of south eastern Texas in the United States of America. This cyclone ravaging storm travels at great speed (10 miles per hour or even more) carrying great wind and also causing disastrous flooding too, as it frequently takes off from the core of the Atlantic Ocean. While the hurricane is often an annual geographical awaiting disaster (occurring in parts of the North American continent) that surprisingly went on a break for about 13 years before reawakening on August 17 this year (2017), however, flooding in Nigeria which is often without violent storms has usually been a consequence of the lackadaisical attitudes of both the government and the citizenry. In one of my earlier online articles I expounded on our romance with the “care free culture.” unfortunately this culture has birthed an offspring for us in lackadaisical attitude. Three major flood disasters has so far affected us in the year (2017) alone, one in the commercial city of Lagos, another in Suleja town in Niger state and the recent flooding that has swept across 24 communities in Benue state. Nature quite unfortunately can be most times unpredictable, but that’s also largely dependent on our attitude towards it, especially in the African continent and Nigeria to be specific. My visit to Suleja town in December 2016 really proved much point to me on how much the inhabitants of that place loved their environment by openly defecating and dumping of refuse, in combination with filling drainage channels with nylon packs and cabbages. It’s therefore not a lie that the most states in Nigeria do not even have close to sophisticated waste management plans or system for collecting and appropriately disposing refuse and for recycling. Many streets and communities across Nigeria’s 36 states do not have waste disposing tanks or bins neither have they witnessed the operation of waste collection agencies.  While Lagos with its LAWMA agency has over the years been toning its muscles in the area of waste management, however, the recent flooding in areas on the Lagos Island shows we still have a long way to go in adequately caring for Mother Nature so that she can in turn care for us.
In sociological analysis of environmental disasters, the culture and attitudes of the inhabitants of such environment are analyzed. Natural disasters although, are often unfortunate events, as their root cause and exact timing are difficult to capture. But in Nigeria, our collective handling and habits which takes our environment as a docile entity rather than an interacting being, has over the years brought us untold hardships and damages. Such Cases where funds meant for construction of drainage system and channels are diverted into private coffers by government officials and cases where the citizenry sees no other place to dump refuse than throwing them into streams, rivers, gutters and so on and so forth, while everybody goes there way, in Nigeria life goes on that way. But at our U – turns after the initial execution of these despicable habits, Mother Nature shakes her head “I am coming for you guys” that’s her proclamation. You damage the dignity of the natural environment; it damages your hard earned fortunes In turn. The ever polluted streams and rivers of Niger delta oil rich communities also lie in wait there; the people’s means of livelihood in fishing and farming have been consistently dealt a blow and rendered irrelevant for the operations of oil producing multinationals firms raking millions of dollars into our government’s coffers and making the government blind to the plight of the people
It is quite unfortunate that in advanced nations where visions, plans and steps are taking to adequately avert damaging environmental behavior such as dropping of plastic bags in water ways, emission of green house gases etc.  Natural disasters in tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes have been the pay back over the years. While in developing nations like Nigeria where close to nothing is done to care for Mother Nature, self inflicted disasters have been the order of the day. Irrespective of what Natural disaster rocks the USA, China and other advanced Nations, their collective response and attitude of care towards their environment (which is visible in their beautiful and clean landscape) and their response to unfortunate natural disasters will continue to help them have upper hand in the transactions of societal and environmental interaction. The responsibility of caring and maintaining environmental decency is in our hands as Nigerians, it however needs a top – down approach to creating a sense and an attitude of environmental care and sanity, as political authority is needed for compliance in this journey, Nigeria needs to avert an avalanche of self made disasters often termed “Natural”, or else Mother Nature will pay us back in our Kobo.

Bolaji Olaniba
Lives and work in Lokoja
Kogi state

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