Jos: How trash is taking over my city

From the walls of the University of Jos Permanent Site to most street corners, garbage is gradually taking over Jos, the Plateau State capital. Once considered the home of peace and tourism, recurrent crises and now unchecked waste are tainting the reputation of the “Moscow” of Central Nigeria. We are losing the city to filth, and if we do not act now, the environmental damage may become irreversible.

I drove through Farin Gada last week and had to hold my breath. Not because of the cold Jos air we are known for, but because of the stench rising from mounds of refuse that have become roadside monuments. At Bauchi Road, at Terminus Market, and at the entrance of the University of Jos Permanent Site, among other places, the story is the same: black polythene bags, rotting food, plastic bottles, and other solid waste piled high, with goats and children picking through them.

This is not the Jos we grew up singing about. The Jos of cool weather, of botanical gardens, of tourists who came for the wildlife park and stayed for the hospitality. Today, visitors are greeted first by trash, then by the smell, then by the ugly sight.

The failure is systemic, not individual. Waste evacuation in Jos has collapsed. Bins overflow for weeks because trucks do not come to pick it up. The days when designated waste disposal points were serviced regularly are over. Meanwhile, residents, tired of waiting, dump by the roadside at night. When a system fails, people adapt to the failure, and that is how disorders become normal.

At the University of Jos, the situation is worse. Thousands of students live and learn surrounded by refuse. Lecture halls share fences with dump sites. Drainages are clogged, and when the rains come, water has nowhere to go except into the university premises and hostels. We are breeding disease in the name of learning. The irony is painful. A state that preaches “Peace and Tourism” can not keep its own streets peaceful or clean.

Garbage is not just ugly. It is dangerous. It blocks drainages and causes flooding. It attracts rats and mosquitoes. It is a public health crisis waiting to happen: cholera, typhoid, malaria, and respiratory infections. Beyond the health risks, it tells a story about us. That we have become desensitized to disorder. That we can normalize what should shame us.

The Plateau State Government must wake up to its responsibilities. A clean and orderly city is not only about chasing hawkers and demolishing roadside structures. It means providing a safe and hygienic environment through efficient waste management. Waste must be treated as an emergency. The government and its agencies should move swiftly to clear all piles of trash taking over Jos. Cities do not die instantly. They die slowly, one uncollected bag of trash at a time.

This requires enforcement plus alternatives. The government must enforce sanitation laws with fines but also provide bins on every major street and make collection predictable. It should partner with communities, schools, market associations, and the University management to develop a robust waste disposal blueprint and ensure strict enforcement.

Finally, let us change our mindset. Cleanliness is not the government’s job alone. It is a civic duty. If you eat on the road, carry your nylon home. If you own a shop, sweep your frontage. Jos deserves better. Plateau deserves better. We can not claim to love this city and allow it to drown in garbage.

Labaran Yusuf,

Jos, Plateau State