Anything that offers value to society, government, religion, and even family is highly regarded, and on the strength of what the person or organization contributes, their offences can also be overlooked.
I was discussing with a friend some time back, and he brought up the issue of immunity clauses in politics. He brought up the issue of pardons given to certain individuals in power, no matter the weight of their crimes, until they vacate their seats.
He cited an example of a leader in his state, name withheld, who was guilty of murder and other crimes involving money ritual but was not charged in court because he was in power.
He concluded by saying those in power can wake up one day and wipe out an entire community, and even with evidence, they might not necessarily be punished. Why? Because they are valuable individuals. But if a normal citizen dares to do anything of that nature, he would face the wrath of the law swiftly.
This applies to this topic: if an individual, especially an average person, dumps refuse or waste improperly, the person is cautioned and, in worse cases, prosecuted.
But we see industries and factories polluting our lands and water bodies without getting punished.
I don't know about other countries, but this is the case in Nigeria. It is as if the government places more value on what gives them value and gives little to no value to anyone who doesn't have anything to offer.
Most of the water bodies are dead, littered with all kinds of chemicals. But that is not how it should be; humans or organizations should not be above the law.
Regardless of what an individual or organization contributes, when they are wrong, they should be sanctioned.
But if we continue to favor organizations or certain individuals because of what we gain from them, we would be stuck in one place, and our society would keep becoming terrible, and our environmental health would continually be reduced to nothing.
So, let's forget about whether the government is being biased and making the law less effective on certain individuals or organizations and do what's right.
Collectively as a society, we should make our environment a better place. Let's forget about our interests and priorities and focus on what's good for everyone.
Whether as individuals or an organization, we should keep our environments neat and also ensure that refuse or waste is disposed of properly to avoid contaminating the place.
And I am also concerned about aquatic life; water bodies should not always be our dumping grounds; we can find other alternatives.
Our environment is deteriorating, and we hold the responsibility to fix it. Every single act towards keeping it clean counts; we can start by simply disposing of refuse properly and ensuring that our drainage systems and other water bodies are clean and free from all kinds of dirt.