By
FRED ITUA and FAITH JAMES
They are the first to rise, while the rest of the world still
snores. Under the sun or in the rain, they seldom default. They defy
the sometime ugly glances of passersby to keep Abuja, the nation’s
capital clean.
Like road traffic wardens, Abuja street
sweepers are rarely celebrated. Road users and pedestrians only see
clean streets. They hardly pay attention to those who ensure that empty
cans thrown through the glasses of a moving car, sachet water nylons
flung while walking and other disposables indiscriminately scattered on
the streets are removed.
Everyday, they face the risk of being hit
by careless and drunk drivers while sweeping the streets. They are
neither given head helmets to protect them from hit-and-run motorists or
given adequate sun-resistant fabric to fence off the biting sun. Under
the rain, they are not provided with the necessary tools.
Worst
still is the non-provision of caution signs by employers of these sweet
sweepers to warn coming and speeding vehicles. Since their jobs are
informal, they have no health or death insurance packages to fall back
on whenever they suffer hazards during work hours.
A 27-year-old
widow, Rebecca Felix, is one of the street sweepers in Abuja. Prior to
her new job, she was a petty trader struggling to make ends meet. She
told Daily Sun that she was relying on the meager income realized from
her petty business to take care of her children.
Today, she has
become one of the street sweepers in Abuja. She combines both the gains
she realizes from her petty trade with her salary to take care of her
children. It, however, appears that there is no difference, as the
salary she earns as a street sweeper is next to nothing.
Although
she is grateful to have got the job, she is disturbed by the challenges
that accompany it. According to her, risks associated with the job far
outweigh the stipends she earns as her salary. When she started the job,
she was optimistic that it would meet her demands. But, as it stands
now, she is completely confused.
“When my friend introduced me to
it, she told me that as a street sweeper, I will be able to cater for my
needs and that of my family. She said I could attend to some pressing
needs without necessarily going into debt, but the story is different
now.
“If I could find a better job apart from sweeping the streets,
this would have been my last option. I needed to cater for my family.
Since my husband died five years ago, it has not been easy. Getting this
job was a miracle for me. At least, I have something to give back to my
family.”
A motorist, Abdul, made a case for these sweepers: “The
fact remains that it is very difficult to ignore the efforts of an
average street sweeper in Abuja by the present administration. They defy
the dangers involved to keep the city clean. They work so hard, often
in difficult and high risk areas. The question is, do they earn wages
commensurate to the risk they take?”
Another street sweeper, Ms
Nneka Anosike, spotted on the Kubwa Expressway said her job seems easy
but it is back breaking. She complained that many Nigerians are not
environmentally-conscious and that they lack ethics of public
responsibility:
“It is disheartening having cleaned the gutters,
picking water sachets, tins and cans, swept the street, a person comes
after you and litters right where you had already cleaned. Some throw
things from the windows of their cars and this is so heartless. People
need to change their attitude towards waste disposal.
“More so
because when our supervisors come to inspect our work, they order us to
start afresh no matter how much we explain that the litter was actually
disposed after we had cleaned. Another major challenge is that after
having swept and loaded waste into refuse bags pending collection by
refuse trucks, some people empty the bags and take them away.
“This
sets us back as our supervisors would come and instruct us to start from
scratch, particularly because you often find that the emptied waste has
been scattered by wind all over the place. The companies which collect
recyclable waste in the city centre are creating problem for us. Some of
the recyclables such as plastics are scattered all over the place as
the trucks manoeuvre around the city.
“This calls for us, street
sweepers, to pick up that waste and it is an unnecessary waste of time
and energy. It would be nice for everyone who does business in the city
to do so responsibly. The recycling companies should ensure that their
trucks are well covered.”
Kate Ijeoma, a graduate of the
University of Abuja, said doing such a job is dehumanizing, but she can
do the job if she travels out of Nigeria to Europe. She stated that
street sweepers abroad are treated with some level of professionalism
and they are well paid.
Justina from Mabushi area in Abuja is
married and has a child. She is a cleaner at Banex Plaza. There are four
other women engaged in cleaning the place with her. She told her story:
“There
is no way one will make efforts and achieve everything at a go. It
requires perseverance and commitment though times. This job is
stressful. A lazy person cannot engage him or herself without
complaining and I also have to manage because it’s my only source of
livelihood.
“I come here everyday from my place by 5:00am then we
finish by 8:00am. After that, we gather the refuse bin and take it to
the refuse dump where we normally dispose it. From there, we return to
our various homes. At times, when we are doing our job, some drivers
throw caution to the winds by driving recklessly and splashing water on
us.
“My supervisor is a good woman. She always provides whatever we
demand for though there are times when she replies with an impolite tone
before she makes provision for your need. Whenever our salary is due
for payment, she pays the exact day without wasting time.
“She always
commends our good work. Not only that, customers also appreciate the
fact that the premises are always clean when they come into the plaza.
One thing with human beings is that they can never be satisfied no
matter the length you go. At times she (supervisor) complains, but we
are left with no other choice than to endure and comply. I am not really
enjoying the job, but the fact that I am not educated, I have to do it
rather than being idle.
“My husband supports and advises me all the
time. His words are the only source of encouragement I have. He always
tells me to put more effort in the job that there will definitely be
light at the end of of the tunnel. Whenever I am not strong enough to
come to work, I plead with my younger sister to assist me because my
colleagues cannot leave their work to assist me. On a last note, I think
people need to change their attitude towards waste disposal.”
Twenty
two-year-old Happiness Ifeanyi from Area 1, works with a first
generation bank as a sweeper. She comes to work by 6:00am everyday:
“We
face challenges especially when customers mess up the place. Our boss
is disciplined and hates excuses so she expects one to keep the premises
clean. To me, the job is not stressful just that the pay is not enough
for my up keep and I support my siblings with what I get from the this
job.
“Our supervisor who happens to be my colleague has this ego
because she sees herself as being privileged to be picked out among the
rest. She often replies her colleagues in a rude manner.”
