Festooned with filth, puddles of water, a stagnant drainage system and decomposing food remains, Alayabiagba Model Market, popularly known as Boundary Market, leaves no desirable image in the mind of a first-time visitor.
Located in the densely populated Ajegunle in the Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, this market, which is lined with open stalls and lockup shops, is a one-stop arena to shop for livestock, clothes, foodstuffs and other consumables.
However, during a visit to the market by PUNCH Healthwise, the place was discovered to be a beehive of open defecation and indiscriminate refuse disposal.
The sanitary condition of the market calls for concern as the whole expanse stinks of nauseous urine and faeces.
As our reporter made her way through the market, she had to walk with caution to avoid stepping on faeces deposited by unknown persons. She also had to hold her breath at intervals.
“If you see the way some traders that sleep in the market at night mess up the environment with their faeces and the kind of stench we endure daily just to sell our goods, you will pity us”, lamented Mrs. Esther Akintunde, a trader, while speaking with PUNCH Healthwise.
The woman, who was obviously unhappy about the sanitary condition of the market said open defecation is not seen as a big deal and is done without care, especially in the early hours of the morning.
She said, “When you come to the market in the morning around 6am, if you don’t watch very well and look down continuously, you will definitely step on faeces. The market is filled with human excreta tied up in polythene bags or stored inside used Styrofoam plates.
“I have experienced that more than two times this year, and that was because I was a bit careful. Others have more bitter experiences to share.
Continuing, Akintunde said, “Some of the traders indulging in this unhealthy act leave plates and polythene bags filled with faeces at the front of people’s shops where they must have spent the night. Some would even make an effort to throw them into the canal behind the market.
“In fact that canal has become a toilet, even though there are public toilets in the market. The type of offensive odour that comes from the toilets can be too much to bear for some people, which is why they don’t use them.”
What is, however, worrisome is that open defecation, which poses grievous threats to lives and the environment, goes on under the watch of the state and local government, – despite the huge revenue generated daily from the market.
Bitter experience
The market, PUNCH Healthwise gathered from the chairman of the building materials section, Mr. Adesina Morufu, is over 60 years old.
He said it is not a specialised market, as anything can be sold and bought there.
Boundary Market, our correspondent learnt, is mainly patronised by residents of Ajegunle, Apapa, Festac, Ikeja, Isolo and sometimes, fruit sellers from Lagos Island.
Findings by PUNCH Healthwise showed that both traders and buyers have health and environmental issues to contend with going by the unhygienic practices going in the market.
Our correspondent gathered that open defecation is practised by some traders, who usually turn the front of people’s shops into sleeping areas at night.
Besides the unkempt environment in some sections of the market, it was observed that traders, especially those selling behind the canal that runs through the back of the market are faced with environmental and health hazards, as they are left with no choice but to inhale the terrible stench that emanates from the drainage laden with faeces and refuse.
Our correspondent gathered that some traders have refused to make use of the public toilets inside the market just to avoid paying N50 charged by the operators.
And have rather, turned the canal, which also doubles as a dump site for refuse into their toilet.
A heap of refuse was sighted beside and inside the canal during the visit by PUNCH Healthwise.
The refuse dumped inside the canal could be seen floating during the visit.
Further investigation by PUNCH Healthwise showed that some traders defecate in a four-litre paint bucket, which they later empty into nearby gutters and the canal when the market closes.
Some aggrieved traders, who decried the open defecation carried out in the market, told PUNCH Healthwise that they are unhappy about the state of the market, noting that the environment is jeopardizing their health.
Meanwhile, health experts say three factors are responsible for widespread open defecation; poverty, lack of lavatories and ingrained cultural norms, which makes the practice socially accepted in some parts of the society.
Greeted by faeces daily
With an angry look on his face, Mr. Emmanuel Adeyemo, a cement seller, told our correspondent that he can no longer endure the stench.
According to him, “We face the challenge of open defecation in the market and it is done by some traders who sleep inside the market at night. They have turned the canal into their toilet. Some of them defecate inside nylon or used disposable plates and throw them anywhere they like in the market. When you come to the market early in the morning, you will be greeted by human faeces.”
Another trader, Mrs. Ayola Lawal, told our correspondent that the unhealthy practice has been going on for over two years
The 48- year old, Yam seller, said aside from being exposed to diseases, passersby, residents and commuters are left to battle with the stench that comes from faeces and urine.
She said, “If you don’t look well as come into the market, you will step on faeces, especially those deposited inside polythene bags. Most of the black nylons and used disposable plates you see on the floor in the market have faeces in them.
“Also, the ones you see floating inside the canal have faeces in them. The traders carrying out this unhealthy act don’t care about how we feel. The annoying thing is that by daybreak, these people that sleep inside the market will all disappear. At the end of the day, nobody would be held responsible.”
Danger of open defecation
The World Health Organisation says open defecation pollutes the environment and causes health problems.
The global health body linked it to the high prevalence of water-borne, infectious diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A, high child mortality, poor nutrition and poverty in the country.
Also, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in its advisory campaign said open defecation is one of the major causes of cholera in the country.
Despite the signing of the Executive Order 009 titled, ‘The Open Defecation-Free Nigeria by 2025 and Other Related Matters Order’ by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) in November 2019, the age-old culture of open defecation still persists, especially in urban areas.
In 2020, a task force on open defecation, inaugurated on the directives of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, swung into action and arrested residents carrying out open defecation in some parts of the state.
46 million Nigerians defecate in the open
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, about 46 million Nigerians defecate in the open.
It is estimated that another 56 million would be added within the next ten years.
Despite the presence of mobile public toilets and other infrastructure in the state, as well as the presence of law enforcement officials commissioned to curb open defecation, many residents still carry out the act with impunity.
According to Mr. Gabriel Nidifereke, a second-hand clothes seller inside the Boundary Market, “People defecate around the area indiscriminately and this poses a great challenge to business activities in the market. Most people refuse to patronize us here because they can’t withstand the smell of feaces and urine.
He appealed to the state government to come to their aid by monitoring and ensuring that proper hygiene is maintained in the market.”
Use of canal as toilet
A food vendor in the area, who simply identified himself as Ibrahim, admitted that he defecates inside the canal, especially when operators of the public toilets have closed for the day.
“I sell food at night and public toilet operators don’t operate by that time. I am not the only one that is using the canal as a toilet. A lot of traders that sleep inside the market at night also do it. Even passersby that are pressed also defecate inside the canal. It is a common practice around here”, he defended.
A public toilet operator in the market, who chose to be identified as Lekan, described those polluting the environment as selfish.
He said they do not want to pay the N50 stipend charged for using the public toilets inside the market.
But a beans seller, Abe Johnson said it is not just about the money being charged, but how the place is managed and where it is situated.
“Some of them are very dirty and this discourages people from using them. You can get an infection from there,” he added.
Other aggrieved traders who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise agreed with Johnson and appealed to the state government and market leaders to save them from the unhealthy environment.
Lagos govt constructed public toilets
The Lagos State Government says it constructed 167 public toilets in selected areas.
Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, said the state registered over 635 public toilet operators to prevent open defecation.
Open defecation as defined by UNICEF is the practice of people going out “in fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water or other open spaces, rather than using the toilet to defecate.”
Although common in India, where 521 million people or nearly half the country’s population are involved in open defecation, Nigeria is one of the top three countries in the world whose citizens are entrenched in the practice.
“The situation of sanitation in Nigeria is alarming. Nigeria is third worldwide when it comes to open defecation; one-third of the population practice it,” a top UNICEF official, Zaid Jurji, said in 2017.
Jurji wondered why Nigeria, which he described as a “heavyweight country” that is held in high regard globally, should still be entangled in this infamy.
“In fact, over 88 per cent of diarrhoea in children, the fastest killer of children under the age of five in Nigeria is caused by open defecation,” said Jurji, who was worried that Nigeria may not meet the global target of 2030 for ending the backward practice.
Open defecation increases liver failure risk
According to experts, it has been confirmed that just a gram of faeces contains approximately 10 million viruses, one million bacteria and a thousand parasite cysts.
Experts say open defecation has been implicated in many cases of cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis, polio and typhoid fever, among other diseases that are endemic in the country.
Commenting on this, a Consultant Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Professor Edamisan Temiye, said open defecation could lead to diarrhoea and hepatitis A, affirming that diarrhoea is one of the greatest causes of death in children
The child health expert warned that getting hepatitis A from stool could cause liver failure.
He said, “Other infections can be transferred through stool like typhoid disease and amoeba, which may even cause liver problems.
“Open defecation can transmit hepatitis A. Children do get hepatitis A as a result of poorly disposed stool and if their parents don’t wash their hands before feeding them.
“When somebody has hepatitis A, the risk involved is that it can cause the liver to shut down completely and the person can die from liver failure.”
Prof. Temiye, pointed out that poorly disposed stool could also lead to worm infestation in children, which he said might result in malnutrition.
“The child will develop malnutrition because the worm, a parasite, is consuming the food that should nourish the child. Children are not supposed to have worms in their intestines,” he added.
The paediatrician urged mothers to maintain good hygiene at all times.
He also advised people to end open defecation and that human excreta should be properly disposed of, be it that of a baby or an adult.
“Mothers should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching anything after using the toilet and before feeding their babies,” he said.
Food contamination
A Professor of Community and Public Health Nutrition, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Ngozi Nnam, told our correspondent that open defecation causes ill health.
She explained that when flies perch on food, they contaminate it by depositing harmful bacteria.
According to the nutritionist, flies come into homes when the environment is not clean and hygienic, adding that food contaminated by flies is not fit for human consumption.
Prof. Nnam advised Nigerians to always keep their environment clean to ensure food safety.
She noted that contaminated food causes diarrhoea and malnutrition, adding that when these health conditions are not properly managed, they could lead to death.
“First of all, we need to keep our environment clean. When the environment is unclean, it will attract flies and when these flies perch on food, they will deposit harmful bacteria that can cause diarrhoea and other diseases,” she said.
The WHO says unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to cancers.
The global health body noted that an estimated 600 million – almost one in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.
Diarrhoea cases high in Ajegunle
A Public Health Physician and Epidemiologist, Dr. Japheth Olugbogi, said there are so many health problems associated with open defecation.
The Medical Officer of Health, Ifelodun Local Council Development Area, gave insight into the dangers of open defecation and why people should shun the act.
He revealed that cholera and diarrhoea is very prevalent in Ajeromi LGA.
“Plenty cases of diarrhoea have been recorded in Ajegunle. Apart from diarrhoea, we also have communicable diseases. Children can be exposed to soil-transmitted Helminthiasis infection, popularly known as worm infestation.
“There are different worms that people can pass out and others can pick them up. We have hepatitis A as well.
“Hepatitis A can be transmitted through open defecation. So, there are so many diseases and it is easy for people to pick up these germs, especially when it rains because faecal matter is washed from the canal or gutters into homes, shops and markets. Utensils, plates and water sources are contaminated.
Continuing, the physician said, “Those who sell sachet water think that it is safe but it is not. Even bottled soft drinks are not safe in such a contaminated environment.
“The germs and worms can contaminate the body of the soft drink or nylon of the sachet water. If you don’t wash them thoroughly, you can pick whatever contaminant is on the body of the soft drink or nylon of sachet water. That can be very dangerous.”
Dr. Olugbogi urged the market leaders and the state government to sensitise the traders on the dangers of open defecation and the benefits of maintaining a healthy and clean environment.
Consumers face food safety issues in Boundary Market
A Registered Dietician and Nutritionist, Olusola Malomo, said consumers of food items from the market are likely to face food safety issues.
The expert, who is an Assistant Chief Dietician at the Ajeromi General Hospital, Lagos, said, “Food items such as meat, vegetables and fruits sold in that market could be contaminated by vectors and contaminated water sources.
“If proper hygiene is not put in place uncooked food items are at risk of contamination.
“The level of hygiene in an environment will reflect on an individual’s health status. In a contaminated environment, even a rat can be a vector and it will carry microorganisms into a house and contaminate food.
“Also, house flies will carry microorganisms and contaminate fruits and vegetables sold in the market. Cockroaches, rats and flies can be sources of microorganisms and they can also contaminate food items,” she said.
The dietician appealed to the traders to put an end to open defecation, warning that it would definitely lead to health and environmental hazards.
She also enjoined them to embrace proper hygiene and use clean water to wash their fruits and vegetables properly.
We will look into the matter – Market leader
When our correspondent met with the Chairman of Alayabiagba Model Market Association and Baba Oja (market leader), Mr. Lateef Ibrahim, he promised to look into the matter.
He, however, said structures were put in place to checkmate unhealthy environmental practices, especially open defecation carried out by the traders.
The chairman, who acknowledged that some traders sleep inside the market at night said when he assumed office in 2021, he appointed taskforce team to move around the market to ensure that it is clean.
He said, “When some traders complained about open defecation, I quickly intervened. The ones I observed myself were addressed. We have public toilets and access to water supply in the market.
“When I noticed that some people were sleeping in the market and messing up the environment, I questioned the security officials. I had to change all the keys to the market gates and also changed the security guards. That was four months ago, and since then, I have not been hearing about the issue of people defecating in the market. Now that it has come up again, I will look into it with other market leaders.”
The chairman, however, appealed to the state government to evacuate the refuse from the canal behind the market.
Lagos State government to investigate claims
Meanwhile, reacting to the issue of open defecation, Adeshina of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, said it is an issue that the state government had stepped up campaigns against on several fronts.
He said, “It is about sensitisation of residents on the dangers. We also encourage them to use public toilets. The state government has built public toilets in many locations.
“It also partnered with private concerns to build toilets and operate them for public use, and we ensure that they charge minimally for the usage.”
When briefed about the ugly situation discovered at the Alayabiagba Market, he said, “I don’t have the details now. However, as a point of duty, we will investigate and if the allegation is proven to be true, decisive action will be taken against those involved.
“This will include apprehending culprits by various enforcement arms of the ministry and possible prosecution at mobile courts.
“We will also make use of the market leaders’ structure to police the market and ensure that perpetrators of the act are stopped. We will also point out the dangers of open defecation to the traders.”
