A major health hazard now looms in the busy area of Garki District in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory, following the refusal of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, to respond to pleas by residents of Area 7, to evacuate a major sewage control point, which has been spewing human faeces into the open for nearly four weeks.

Beyond the offensive faeces being thrown out from the blocked overflowing sewage control pit that is sitting in front of no fewer than four banks, public and private offices and homes in Area 7, which is a mixed residential and commercial area of Abuja, the leaking sewage, is also blowing out highly offensive and repulsive ordour.

The challenged sewage pit, which controls human wastes from many areas, adjourning Radio House, Defence Headquarters, banks and homes, broke down in the first week of March 2024 and the attention of Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, was immediately drawn to it.

At the office of the environmental agency bordering the headquarters of the Nigerian Security and the National Defence College and Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, in the Central District of the FCT, a lady in the public affairs unit, who recorded the report made by concerned residents on March 4, 2024, assured that prompt action would be taken to evacuate the challenged sewage drain.

Perhaps, as a demonstration of her seriousness, the lady also handed out two numbers of officials directly in charge of sewage evacuation and directed the team to contact them for immediate action.

The two officials, who are in charge of the refuse trucks which litter Area 3 office of the AEPB, were promptly called and they assured that the problem would be fixed the following day, March 5, 2024, saying that they had already deployed available trucks for work by the time the report came to them.

However, many days after the promise and nothing was done, another report was lodged at the headquarters of the AEPB. As was the first time, the lady still gave the same numbers of the officials in Area 3 to be contacted.

As a result of that, the officials have been called many times but none of them has taken any action to evacuate the blocked sewage, which has now spilled its injurious contents into many places and forced residents of the affected area to either use face masks to avoid the offensive ordour oozing from there or avoid the area completely.

Worse affected are some media houses, banks and insurance firm and a printing press, whose offices lie directly opposite the overwhelmed sewage pit.

When our correspondent called the officer in charge of evacuation in Area 3, he initially claimed that the pit had since been evacuated by his men. But when confronted that the said report of evacuation was false, he promised to personally lead a team the following day to carry out the job.

But when he did not show up after three weeks and was confronted by our correspondent, the official, subsequently referred us to another official and gave his number for our correspondent to call.

After calling the second officials for many days without any response, our correspondent went back to the head of the evacuation centre, who began to sound helpless, arguing that their trucks had issues and that it would take time for the leaking pit to be fixed.

When asked whether the help of the FCT Minister should be sought so as to clear the rubbish, which is constituting a very serious health challenge to the residents, the same man, responded: “Well, they know that we are having many issues but I will plead with you to still exercise patience”.

But after one month of cajoling our correspondents, the AEPB officials have still refused to clear the sewage and the trouble continues unabated. (Saturday Vanguard)

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