A Unified Call for Environmental Health in Esa-Oke
What an incredibly impactful day for the Environmental Protection and Sanitation CDS Group of NYSC Esa-Oke! Today, Thursday, May 25, 2025, our dedicated corps members left our usual meeting hall and plunged directly into the vibrant heart of the community – the bustling Esa-Oke market. This vital market serves as the economic pulse of the town, and its overall state of health, cleanliness, and organization stands as a direct reflection of our collective well-being as a community.
Our outdoor activity was far more than just a casual visit; it was a comprehensive Sensitization Marathon, driven by a clear and urgent mission: to educate, engage, and mobilize the esteemed traders and diligent shoppers on the critical and undeniable importance of maintaining a truly clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for all. We firmly believe that sustainable practices are not just good for nature, but essential for human health and prosperity.
Understanding the Impact: Why Our Focus on the Market?
Nigerian markets, while undeniably essential for commerce, trade, and ensuring food security for countless families, are also, by their very nature, significant generators of waste. This waste ranges from perishable food scraps and organic matter to persistent plastic packaging and various non-biodegradable items. When this diverse array of waste is not properly managed—when it's casually dumped, left to accumulate, or not regularly cleared—it inevitably leads to a cascade of environmental and health problems. These issues include severely blocked drainage systems, which contribute to flooding and stagnant water, the emission of unpleasant odours that pollute the air, and most critically, the creation of perfect breeding grounds for disease vectors such such as rats, flies, and mosquitoes. These conditions directly threaten the health of everyone who works, shops, or lives near the market, significantly increasing the risk of widespread diseases like cholera, typhoid, malaria, and various gastrointestinal infections.
Throughout the day, our corps members dedicated themselves to engaging with individuals one-on-one and in small, focused groups. We shared simple, yet profoundly practical tips and insights that, when adopted, can make an enormous positive difference. These conversations revolved around the critical importance of proper waste segregation, encouraging everyone to consider using separate containers for compostable organic waste versus non-compostable materials. We emphasized the dangers of uncontrolled drainage, highlighting how the careless dumping of refuse into gutters and open drains directly causes blockages and exacerbates flooding during the rainy season. Most importantly, we continually reiterated the fundamental message that health is wealth, explaining how a meticulously clean stall, a tidy surrounding area, and a generally hygienic environment directly translate to better health for the traders themselves, fewer days lost to illness, and ultimately, a more prosperous and flourishing business environment for the entire community.
The reception we were met with from the diligent market men and women was genuinely overwhelming and incredibly encouraging. We had the privilege of meeting so many enthusiastic individuals who demonstrated a true and sincere willingness to adapt their habits and, more importantly, to actively take ownership of their immediate surroundings. This positive and proactive engagement from the community deeply reaffirms our core belief that sustainable community development is, at its very heart, a shared responsibility—one that requires the active participation and commitment of every single member.
As a dedicated CDS group, our impactful work today directly aligns with and powerfully supports the core objectives of the NYSC scheme: to actively promote, rigorously protect, and diligently sustain a healthy environment across Nigeria, while simultaneously creating widespread awareness on truly sustainable environmental management practices. We are convinced that by addressing and improving sanitation at the fundamental market level, we are effectively laying a strong, resilient foundation for a healthier, cleaner, and more environmentally conscious Esa-Oke—a legacy that we hope will endure long after our individual service year comes to an end. This was not merely a one-day event; it represents the significant beginning of a sustained, impactful commitment to environmental stewardship.
A huge and heartfelt thank you goes out to the respected market leaders for their invaluable cooperation and unwavering support, and to every single trader and shopper who graciously took the time to listen to our vital message.