Wuraola (not real name) used to sweep four street-lightening-poles distance on either side of the road. But since the Lagos State government sacked some of her colleagues, her daily portion has almost doubled. She returns home a complete wreck, and then loads pain killer into her system to stay in form for the next day.

Street sweepers do so much, but while speaking with FIJ, some of them said government pays them only a pittance. They start work as early as 6am, work rigorously for several hours, and at the end of the month return home with just N25,000.

“This work is underrated,” Wuraola, who works in the Fagba area of Lagos, said. “We sweep mounds of dust, debris and human faeces off the road. And everything for just N25,000 monthly salary.”

In the heat of 2019 minimum wage debacle, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said during a meeting with some labour leaders that his administration would pay more than the proposed national benchmark because of challenges peculiar to Lagos workers.

But more than one year after the Federal Government approved N30,000, street sweepers — key stakeholders in the ‘Keep Lagos Clean’ campaign of the government — go home with next to nothing.

“The money finishes the same day you get it. The moment you buy pain-killer drugs, settle some debts, and pay rent, nothing remains. I continue to do it because I don’t have options,” Wuraola told FIJ.

Another street sweeper who works in the Agege area of Lagos said similar things: “My husband died and left me with five kids. One of them is about to write WAEC and I don’t know where to get the registration fee. What they pay us here is just not enough.”

In their accounts, the sweepers revealed that contrary to what many may think, Lagos state street sweepers don’t return home after taking care of their allotted portions in the morning. They are obliged to stay back till 1pm, the official signout time.

“Sometimes I stay by the roadside, under the excruciating Lagos sun, till 1pm,” said Wuraola. “No one can leave as Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) sometimes pays us surprise visits to ensure adherence to the rule.”

At different times, sweepers have hit the streets with placards, protesting months of unpaid salary. In June 2020, they were seen pulling off their LAWMA-branded regalia and openly renouncing the job after the government failed to pay them for three months.