There is every indication that some parts of Africa may experience a possible outbreak of disease if the current information reaching the news desk of CEOAFRICA is anything to reckon with. Report reaching us from Lagos, Nigeria indicated that the animal waste flushed out of Shobowale Animashaun Farms Limited into the communities that share the boundary with River Ogun may soon result in outbreak of epidemics because both Lagos and Ogun States in Nigeria uses River Ogun as the source of their water supply.

Dwellers around these communities have started exercising fear because life is gradually becoming unbearable as a result of dangerous odour that has overshadowed the environment. According to a resident, he said, “The worst part of it is that, when the waste is dumped out from the farm, it flows straight to the edge of Ogun River that passes through our community.” He then advised the farm to dig deep into the soil so that the waste could be made to flow into it instead of directing it to the community.

Furthermore, he described the waste being flushed three times in a day as usually unbearable, especially in the raining season.

The Shobowale Animashaun Farm Limited where the waste that also contains dead animals and other residues of the animal waste is pumped out , is located in the Onibudo Titun, a treckable distance from Tipper Garage situated along Akute/Olambe road. It is a grade Afarm, covering several kilometers of land. Even though the farm claimed to have been operating in the environment for long, a large number of people had built houses and had come to settle permanently around the area to eke out their living which is earned at a great cost, as all night long , in the morning and afternoon, the bad odour oozes, constituting a great hazard to their health.

As at the time of filling this report, there were large deposits of the waste at different spots while the entire environment was reeling in unpleasant odour.

However, one of the staff at the farm, who spoke on the note of anonymity, said that all the people of the environment encroached to the farm’s land. He even claimed that the owner of the land had envisaged that the waste from the land would be flushed out of the farm through the valley now occupied by those people complaining. He said “As our Corporate Social Responsibility, we do grade their road, we fumigate the environment and we also contributed to the electricity project in the community. As for the land they are occupying, the case is in the court. We won the first and second rounds. We are still on it because the land owners (Omo onile) have appealed.”

However, on a contrary note, the Chairman, Onibudo Phase II Community Development Association said the road and electricity projects were achieved without the assistance from the farm. “Each landlord had to pay a huge amount of money which ran to millions before we were able to achieve the little we have achieved regarding the road and electricity projects.

However, the Farm Lawyer said although the occupants of the land are squatters that would soon be evicted, the waste aspect, he said, would be addressed.