Nigeria Covid 19 cases dey increase, Coronavirus vaccines no dey yet, but hundreds of young boys wey dey collect dirty from house-to-house for Karu, one of di sub-urban area of Abuja – Nigeria capital, dey do am wit dia bare hands, no face masks or hand gloves.

Dis one dey put dem at big risk to catch di Covid-19 virus wey don catch at least 36,000 pipo inside di west African nation.

20-year-old Ibrahim na one of dis dustbin collectors. Three years ago im travel from him hometown for Katsina state to Abuja as im dey find beta life. But di only job wey e fit get na to park dirty from pipo house and wey fit cost N50 or N100 naira (0.13 or 0.26 USD) based on di size of di dirty.

On a good day, Ibrahim fit go home wit two thousand naira (5.14 USD) and wen business no good, e na like one thousand five hundred naira(3.86 USD).

“Some of di tins wey I don dey pick up since di pandemic start be masks, gloves, sanitiser bottles and oda protective equipment but I no get any protection.”

“I no dey fear coronavirus because if no work, I no go chop”

Ibrahim, be like many young men wey travel from oda states for Nigeria to come Abuja find beta life and don turn dustbin pickers.

Dem go waka from street to street to keep di area clean but even dat one get comma.

One of dem, Sani, say wen di lockdown happen, many house no gree make e enta to clear di dirty sake of fear-fear.

Abdulrazaq wey dey dey work as scavenger to find plastic and oda reusable tins for dump site, tok say im no believe say coronavirus dey.

“I no dey fear coronavirus because if no work, I no go chop; we no dey wear facemask and none of us dey sick.”

Essential workers wey nobodi send dem

Di local waste collectors dey among di frontline workers wey di keep di environment clean as Nigeria dey battle covid-19; but even wit dis kain work wey dem dey do, many of dem feel say nobody send dia side.

Olufunto Boroffice wey be CEO of Chanja Datti Ltd & Convener, WASTE Africa say because dis waste collectors no dey formally register, e dey difficult for goment to reach dem.

“Nobodi know how dem di dispose all di medical waste for di kontri and dat one get as e go dey bad for dia health and di environment.”

She follow tok say dem don do campaign plenti times so dat waste collectors go dey wear gloves but many of say e no dey dey comfortable to use am do dia work.

“No beta enforcement dey ground to make (dirty collectors) wear any form of protective equipment”

Adiza Ujo, wey be environmentalist tok say if di waste collectors dey do dia work wit no protective gear, dem dey at risk to catch covid-19 especially now wey di kontri don enta transmission level.

“If infected person wear di masks and throway am and den di waste collector touch am, chance dey high say e go fit get di virus.”