LITTERING IS THE SAME-BUT THE PUNISHMENT IS NOT__WEEK237(ep1)

This topic pain me because it is true. If I throw pure water sachet on the road, LASTMA or task force can arrest me. They will shout at me, make me pay fine, or even carry me to their office. But big companies will dump waste in the gutter, in the river, even in the sea, and nothing will happen to them. How is that fair?

In my area in Onitsha, we have this drainage. Every rainy season, it blocks. Why? Because one big factory nearby dumps their waste inside. When the rain comes, the whole place will flood. People house enter water, properties spoil. We reported many times. Local government will come, look, and go. No fine, no arrest. But if na small boy throw bottle inside same gutter, they will beat him.

So yes, the government is more lenient with companies than individuals, and it is not a good model at all.

Why does government do like that?

First reason is money and power. Big companies pay tax, they give government money. They employ many people. So government is scared to touch them. If they fine them heavily or close their company, the company will say they will sack workers. Government does not want that wahala. So they close eyes.

Second reason is corruption. A small man who litters has no money to bribe. So they will punish him to show they are working. But a big company oga can call one big man in Abuja and the case will die. They settle it quietly. No news, no prosecution.

Third, our laws are weak. For individuals, the law is clear - don't litter or you pay fine. For companies, the law says they need to do Environmental Impact Assessment, manage their waste. But who is checking? Agencies like NESREA, they don't have enough staff, no equipment. So companies just dump waste anyhow and claim it was an accident.

Is this a good model? No. It is very bad. It teaches people that there are two laws in Nigeria - one for the poor, one for the rich. If littering is bad for health and environment, then it is bad whether na one sachet or one truck of chemical waste. In fact, company waste is worse because it kills more people.

Company waste can poison water. People drink that water and get sick. Fishermen cannot catch fish again. Farmers farm land spoil. But individual litter is just dirty. Both are bad, but company own is disaster.

What should government do? They should punish companies more, not less. If a company dumps waste on road or in sea, fine them big. Make them clean it themselves. If they repeat it, close the factory for one month. Let them feel pain. And publish their name for newspaper so everybody knows. When you shame them, they will stop.

Also, government should stop doing eye service. Arresting small people on the road while big companies pollute our rivers is eye service. Real work is to hold the big polluters accountable.

Littering is the same, but until punishment is the same, our environment will never be clean.

What do you think? Should government punish companies more than individuals?

IMAGE IS AI GENERATED