The strong stench from a nearby refuse dump floated into Grace Lawrence's kitchen inside Ikeja Military Cantonment as she prepared lunch for her family.
The kids, just resuming a new term, would be back any moment; and her husband, a military officer who works in the cantonment always comes home for lunch.
"Whenever it rains, the stench is unbearable," said Mrs. Lawrence, wiping away the sweat gathering on her forehead.
According to residents, refuse disposal in the cantonment is a huge problem, and as a result, the garbage piles up in a mountainous heap. A resident who preferred anonymity said a car had once hit a commercial motorcyclist because smoke emanating from the burning refuse blurred the driver's vision.
Mrs. Lawrence said in the past, the refuse was cleared every two days but the situation has changed. "Sometimes e dey reach one year before they pack am," she said.
The sight of the refuse heap at CBQ, Mammy Market, and Oshodi, all inside the Cantonment tells one story: the Cantonment is waging a battle against mammoth-sized garbage; a battle it is obviously losing.
Though determined efforts were made to create a clear demarcation between the overflowing refuse and the road, debris of the refuse still spills out onto the road.
The Public Relations Officer at the Cantonment, who identified himself as Captain Daudu, said they were aware of the problem of refuse disposal in the Cantonment, and they were making all the necessary arrangements to ensure a lasting solution to the problem.
"We are not comfortable with the smell. They should please do something about it as soon as possible," said Mrs Lawrence.