We Pack Dead Babies, Ritual Items on Roads, LAWMA Sweepers Cry Out
- LAWMA street sweepers have recounted persistent harassment, unsafe conditions and public hostility faced daily while keeping Lagos roads clean
- Sweepers described being threatened by residents and motorists, forced to repeat cleared work and handle disturbing waste under poor safety conditions
- LAWMA management acknowledged the risks and announced health insurance coverage, stronger enforcement and monitoring to protect sweepers
Street sweepers working for the Lagos Waste Management Authority have spoken openly about what they described as daily humiliation, danger and neglect while carrying out sanitation duties across the city.
The workers said keeping Lagos clean often comes at a personal cost, with many facing insults, threats and unsafe conditions on major roads.
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On the show, the sweepers shared their experiences on a recent episode of The Morayo Show, where their work was acknowledged and their concerns brought to the fore.
Several of them said public attitude toward sweepers remains largely hostile, even though their role is central to the city’s cleanliness and public health.
Legit.ng recently reported that a female street sweeper lost her life on Wednesday, December 17, following a traffic accident along Meran Road, inward Iyana Ekoro, Lagos.
LAWMA sweepers recount daily hostility
Kafilat, one of the sweepers, recounted frequent clashes with motorists who park indiscriminately and obstruct assigned routes.
“Some will park at the roadside indiscriminately and tell us that there is nowhere they can park, that we should go and sweep another axis. And the spot they direct us to is another person’s portion,” she said.
Olatitoye Adeola described confrontations with residents who dump refuse on already cleared roads.
“When we caution them, they are ready to beat us,” she said
She added that some residents justify their actions by claiming waste trucks missed their refuse, even when collections had already been completed.
Taiwo Ologunro said sweepers are often forced to repeat the same work because traders and residents quickly litter cleared areas.
“It is the elites in Lagos that dirty the roads,” she said.
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She also raised concerns about open defecation on highways and inner roads, noting that sweepers sometimes pack faeces by hand under harsh conditions.
Disturbing tasks and safety risks
Victoria Bamgbose spoke about harassment from hoodlums and roadside sellers who deliberately dirty swept areas. Fatimo Akinduro revealed that sweepers are sometimes required to clear ritual items and remains.
“Sometimes we pack dead babies wrapped in polythene bags, and dead goats,” she said, adding that authorities are contacted when human bodies are discovered.
Kehinde Ajibade highlighted discrimination in healthcare facilities. “I went to a general hospital in my uniform and I was stigmatised,” she said. Kalejaiye Adenike added that some residents dump refuse directly on sweepers and provoke confrontations.
LAWMA responds to concerns
Responding on the programme as reported by Punch, LAWMA Managing Director Muyiwa Gbadegeshin acknowledged the risks sweepers face. He said the state government had approved health insurance coverage for all sweepers.
“Mr Governor approved health insurance enrollment for every single sweeper, 16,000 of them,” he said.
Gbadegeshin warned residents against illegal dumping and disclosed that about 1,000 offenders were arrested last year, with hundreds prosecuted.
He also said CCTV cameras were being deployed to track reckless drivers who endanger sweepers.
While calling for empathy, he urged Lagos residents to respect sanitation workers. “We are all human beings. Whether you are a sweeper, a doctor or a big man, we are all the same. Everybody matters,” he said.
The discussion exposed not only the physical demands of keeping Lagos clean, but also the social burden borne daily by those tasked with doing it.
Three family members killed in Lagos
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a pre-dawn crash on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway has claimed the lives of a father, mother and their young child in what authorities described as a catastrophic multi-vehicle collision.
The accident occurred around the Secretariat inward Otedola Bridge corridor and involved several vehicles travelling along the busy route.
Source: Legit.ng
