One of the communities – Photo: Sodiq Ojuroungbe Sodiq Ojuroungbe Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city is currently under the siege of a cholera outbreak that is sweeping through communities, leaving deaths in its trail. So far, about five deaths have been reported, while over 60 residents hospitalised. Though the state government claims to have the situation under control, SODIQ OJUROUNGBE visited the affected communities and observed an alarming disregard for basic sanitation, while open defecation and poor hygiene practices are the norms Lagos with its global ranking of being the 19 th best city to visit in the World by a British Media and hospitality company, Time Out, ahead of Melbourne, Naples, Singapore, Miami, Dubai, Beijing, and Montreal, among others, appears to be in a strong romance with open defecation and indiscriminate waste disposal.
This silent menace, among other sanitation infractions, no doubt, triggered the recent cholera outbreak, which claimed the lives of five and left 60 others fighting desperately for their lives. Access to basic sanitation facilities remains a dream for some Lagos residents, especially those living in densely populated Ilaje, Bariga, and Oworonshoki, in the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State. Every dawn, as the first streak of light kisses the horizon, Bukola Olusoji, would embark on a quiet, sneaky journey, clutching a small plastic bucket tightly.
As she ventures through the narrow alleys of Olowolagba in Bariga, picking .
