Nigeria's jobless eke a living from garbage heaps

[Richard Akindele]

KATAGUA, Nigeria (AFP) — As a rickety garbage truck rattled to a halt and discharged its contents Francis Adigwe, an unemployed textile engineer turned scavenger, rushed over and emerged with his find of the day, a piece of metal he estimated will bring in more than two dollars.

Adigwe is haunted by two concerns, the toll that the job he has done since he was laid off five years ago is taking on his health and his ever-dwindling chances of finding a wife.

"No girl will marry me if I continue with this," he said, adding that most people in his line of business die young, succumbing either to respiratory ailments or to various infectious diseases.

When the Indian company he used to work for closed its operations in Nigeria five years ago, Adigwe, 25, realised he was not going to find another job and moved into scavenging.

The more than 15 million inhabitants of Lagos produce an estimated 9,000 tonnes of trash every day, according to local authorities. It piles up, unsorted and unprotected in huge stinking piles at the side of the street. Commuters gaily throw trash -- mainly plastic -- from vehicles and this blocks drainage channels at the side of the road, leading to massive flooding at the slightest rain.

Every few days a garbage truck takes some of the waste to a site like Katagua on the outskirts of the city.

At the dump, competition is fierce. Anike Lawal, a 52-year-old widow and mother of six clad in protective gloves has been in the scavenging business since her husband died two years ago.

"I have to be fast and smart to pick the best items. If not, I'll have nothing to sell today," she told AFP, her wrinkled face set in determination.

Among the waste she looks for are nylon items, plastics,bulldozer used tyres, papers, bottles, metals, electrical appliances and computer parts. She sells her finds on to others who recycle them.

Nigeria may rank among Africa's top oil producers but many people here scape by on a dollar a day or less.

Lawal, who says she averages about four dollars a day, has set up her home -- a structure made of rusty iron sheets and tattered cloths -- right at the dump.

Nigerian health officials say they are worried about the risks scavengers face.

"Prolonged exposure to wastes can cause bronchial infection and if ...not properly managed that can lead to pneumonia," said Lookman Akinyele, a public health expert with the government of Ogun state that borders on Lagos.

Used electronics and computer parts contains harmful substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury and flame-retardants.

Akinyele said his government has embarked on a campaign to enlighten people on the dangers of scavenging. No ban has been put in place as no one would respect it.

Some scavengers, rather than waiting until the waste is brought to the dump, go out with barrows in search of it at street corners in late afternoon, sorting it in situ -- cans into one sack, plastic into another. Food they consider still edible is devoured on the spot.

Some observers say the scavengers are carrying out what should be a government service -- waste sorting.

"Waste management is a public health issue and it should be handled with care and adequate attention," environmental campaigner Akin Adaranijo said.