Some traders and residents have cried over the mismanagement of waste from a restaurant, Country Kitchen, which they allege pollutes their environment and likely exposes them to cholera outbreak at the Amuf Filling Station Road, Ibafo, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
PUNCH Metro correspondent who visited the community on Monday observed that the restaurant discharges liquid waste with a foul smell from its premises to the community’s drainage daily, posing a threat to both their daily activities and health.
When our correspondent visited the area in the late hours of Monday, the stench was traced from two pipes passing the waste from the restaurant premises to a shallow drainage.
Some food vendors were seen beside the drainage, selling varieties (suya, noodles, eggs, roasted maize, shawarma, fried potatoes, chickens, yams, and plantains) to residents, who consumed the food amidst the terrible situation.
The drainage channel with stagnant water extends to the next street, and some children in the area were seen inhaling the offensive smell from the pollutant.
The traders and residents told PUNCH Metro that they had been enduring the menace of the restaurant in the community due to the negligence of influential residents and the authorities.
A trader, Monsurat Balogun, said the waste from the restaurant inconvenienced traders and residents, as everyone risked the cholera epidemic because of the commercial activities across the drainage, where it passes through.
“This water is flowing from that restaurant; they release it at any time of the day. The landlords who are supposed to intervene are mute because it does not affect them. I think it only affects shop owners. We cannot eat, cook, or even sit with a little child here because of the state of this place.
“The news of the cholera outbreak is everywhere, yet, people still buy cooked noodles and even fried yam from the sellers beside the drainage. Everybody in this area is still alive because of God’s grace; otherwise, this restaurant would have killed us with diseases and even food poisoning.
“The odour is too much; we are tired. Just take a look at what is flowing in the gutter. This is what we are battling with.”
Another trader, Samuel Nwachukwu, said he made an effort to inform the management so that the issue could be addressed, but it proved abortive.
“I have been complaining because I am fed up. I even went to the restaurant to complain about the pollution, but the workers deceitfully told me that their manager was not around. I do not know their manager in person, but I went there with my request.
“It is hazardous, I cannot even describe the colour of the waste; it is unfair. Imagine what my children are perceiving.
They have addressed this issue before, but the case was dismissed due to some foul play,” Nwachukwu said.
A resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “It happens every day. The indigenes are even quiet over this issue, so there is nothing I can do to stop it. As you can see, I went to fetch water to flush the gutter with waste because the smell is too much.”
However, a manager of the Country Kitchen, Ibafo, who simply identified himself as Soji, denied the allegation after a detailed explanation from our correspondent and said he was not aware.
“We do not discharge waste, and our drainage is neat. I passed that route today, and I cannot find any waste there. I will look into it, I will check because I have not got any complaints,” Soji said.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ogun Ministry of Environment, Rotimi Oduniyi, requested the necessary details and promised action would be taken.
“To the best of my knowledge, they have not reported to the government. We will take it up,” Oduniyi said.
