In order to keep the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja clean, some people have been employed to carry out the task of sweeping the streets.
In this piece Nigerian Pilot examine the plight of such persons
It is a bright sunny morning in Abuja; Mrs. Lola Yetunde could be spotted along the Aminu Kano Express Way, Wuse 2, sweeping the streets carrying her baby on her back. She does this every day under the scourging heat or drizzling rain.
For Mrs. Yetunde, who is a mother of six, her job is her life. It is her only source of livelihood. Being a widow, she has nothing to her name as her husband’s family deprived her of her rights to his properties. She said after his death life has been a rollercoaster of turbulence as she struggles to keep her family alive with the little income she makes from sweeping the streets. Mrs. Yetunde is just one amongst many street sweepers employed by independent contractors through the Abuja Environmental Protection Board , AEPB to help make city look clean and beautiful.
Abuja is divided into districts and the cleaning of the districts are handled by different independent contractors so as to reduce the work of AEPB whose sole responsibility is to monitor the activities of these independent contractors. For many street sweepers who spoke to this reporter street- sweeping was a last resort. “If I could find a better job sweeping the streets would have been my last option. I need to cater for my family. Since my husband died five years ago, it has not been easy for me. Getting this job was a miracle for me.
More: http://nigerianpilot.com/plight-street-sweepers-abuja/
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