If the famous statue of liberty is used by a tourist to remember the city of New York in the United States; the Eiffel tower is used to remember the city of Paris in Frace; while the Tower bridge is used to remember the city of London in England, then what should be used to remember the Koko town in Nigeria, and the city of Chernobyl in Russia? These are the questions anyone who don’t know the history of these two places will ask. However the answers are: “The 1987 radioactive toxic dump wastes is used to remember the town of Koko in the former Bendel State Nigeria; while the 1986 radioactive accident is used to remember the city of Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union. The incidents which occurred almost at the same time, 19 years, and 20years ago in Koko and Chernobyl respectively, could be regarded as a tale of two ‘radioactive’ cities. Thus in mathematics, radioactive material is a factor that can be used to factorise Koko and Chernobyl because as Nigerians in particular, experienced the worst radioactive toxic effects in Koko, the world in general experienced the worst radioactive accident in Chernobyl.

Survey shows that 1980’s heralded the choice of many developed nations of the world choosing many African nations as their dumping sites of radioactive toxic materials capable of incapacitating the Central Nervous System of the human Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), of which Koko in the then Bendel State of Nigeria, which situates in the North-West of Warri now in Delta State, was among. The history of radioactive toxic waste dump in any African nation cannot be complete without remembering those of Benin Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Morocco, Nigeria (as already mentioned), Senegal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Why is it that a number of African Countries (independent business owners and some governments) have ignored the long term and grave consequences associated with untreated hazardous waste materials? The predominant driving force behind the importation of these waste materials has been the desperate need to earn income in the form of hard currency in an attempt to alleviate the economic hardships and high poverty levels prevalent in all developing countries. Furthermore, the greed of a few African business owners with the desire to make a relatively enormous amount of income in foreign currency, in a relatively short time, also has significant role in the growth of the waste dumping industry in African countries in which Koko, now in Delta State Nigeria, is among. Another factor that has made Africa a viable alternative for waste dumping is its demands for low disposal fees. According to United Nations information reports of August 1988, “the cost of disposing waste products in any given industrialized nation can reach 3,000 US dollars a tonne, whereas selling untreated waste to an African nation is as low as 5 US dollars per tonne. That is approximately one-thousandth of the cost of processing the waste in any given industrialized nation”.

The question now arises how beneficial is this do-or-die method of income generation? Does poverty and the desperate need to get out of it, Circumvent the potential far reaching harm, toxic waste can ultimately have on the environment and the African people? Does the end (Short – term gains in this case) justify the means? Don’t Africans know that the health impairments associated with the dumping of radioactive toxic materials in their soil, outweigh the financial gains?

In order to find answers to these questions especially on Koko radioactive dump waste, Mr. Adekunle Adegbite, and environmental consultant and pollution controller for 38 years, who was one of the twelve environmental experts from the Federal Government that served for the removal and restoration of Koko Toxic Waste stated “the importation of radioactive toxic waste collected from European Countries in 1987, and dumped in Koko town in the then Bendel State was masterminded by Mr. Rapheli, an Italian businessman who had an office in Iru – Ekpen Bendel State. He was the sole negotiator that went to Chief Nana to dump the toxic materials in his open land for a fee of N600 (Six hundred naira only) per month. Ignorantly, Chief Nana accepted the offer because of financial gains”.

How were the materials detected since they were labeled “Gift of the Italian Government”. Adegbite, a Chemistry magnet and alumnus of the University of London since 37 years ago, who has served as a member of the committee that drafted the Lagos State environmental protection Act in 1981, highlighted that: “The Nigerian Government knew through our Embassy in Italy with assistance of Nigerian students studying there. A total of about 4500 drums which was a colossal mass of mess weighing about 380,0000 kgs were imported from Italy to Koko port. Their idea initially was to ship the consignments to Port-Harcourt, but lack of space and fear of being exposed prevented that. When we were informed about the toxic materials, we used our radioactive detecting instruments like the Geiger Counter and other kits evaluate the level of radiations present and found that there were over 1000 different toxic materials imported. However, some were not radioactive”.

The magnitude of toxic dump, has assumed a major international, environmental and trade concern. This has prompted some global organizations to regulate the international transport of hazardous wastes, which include the Basel Convention, and the United Nations Environmental program. However, regardless of the efforts being put in place by these bodies, these hazardous wastes are still Clandestinely being shipped off to poor developing nations. The major destination has been the Vast amount of used and unused land available in may African countries. On this issue, Adegbite an environmental expert who served as the Secretary to Unilever Regional Safety Team that looked into environmental/safety problems in West African factories in 1987 stated “the United Nations is doing its best to stop this obnoxious act however, many African nations have been lured by the potential financial gains of importing hazardous waste form the west”. He sighted the Koko incidence as an example. “The incidence of Koko radioactive toxic waste led to two things namely: the creation of awareness of radioactive materials into the country; and the loopholes in our sea-ports as at that time.

After detecting the toxic materials, how were they detoxified, one would be tempted to ask: in his speech which sounds like a charm of mystic magnetism, hear him “when we heard about the incidence we were sent by the environmental planning/protection Division with the Federal Ministry of Works, for removal and restoration of the toxic waste, which we did with the assistance of some foreigners from USA, Japan, England etc. First; we detected over 1000 different toxic materials which included Polychloro Biphenyls (PCB) which is carcinogenic; Hospital waste like Aldehyde and Ketone groups; dangerous gases like Osmium Tetraoxide which is a fixative capable of incapacitating the human organ of sight etc. Having identified the mess, we cleared the place by using some detoxifying agents while the toxic materials were loaded back into 40 Cubit feet containers, sealed and shipped back to Italy: Similarly, we dug the sand where the materials are kept until we get almost Zero-detection of radioactivity. We packed the sand, seal them in the containers and shipped them back to Italy simultaneously.

Caught in a strangehold by economic hardship, which has made many African nations to collide with some developed countries to import hazardous toxic waste without considering the health impairments associated with it. On this issue, Professor Alfred Susu, of the Department of Chemical Engineeering, University of Lagos, sighted the problem of the Chernobyl radioactive accident of 1986 as an example, where about 350,000 people were evacuated from their homes and have not been allowed back home till this day because of dangerous radiations associated with radioactive materials. “According to recent television report on CNN, there was a woman Valentyna Abramovych, now 50, her husband and her infant son were forced to evacuate their home in Chernobyl after the accident leaving behind all their belongings, and now relocated to a nearby village. When Ukrainians marked 20th Anniversary of Chernobyl radioactive accident, “Everyday, I would watch television and expect to hear when we could come back home”, she said “but when they said we could never come back, I burst into tears… we feel like outcasts. No one needs us”. This was Valentyna’s voice as she wept profusely on Television and refused to be comforted”, the astute professor narrated. “Indeed the grave consequences such as the carcinogenesis association with radioactive materials should not be imagined, let alone experienced”. These were the words of Professor Wole Familoni of the Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos. According to Adegbite who is at present the Chairman of Environmental Pollution Control Company Ltd (EPCC) Ikeja Lagos, on the health impairments associated with Koko toxic waste, “medical reports obtained from Koko medical centre which was upgraded as a research centre after the incidence have shown that there were some genetic changes within the region. Similarly, a research carried out 4 years after the incidence, showed that there where some denaturation of genes in the environment because some of those toxic materials like PCB is highly carcinogenic. While agricultural products within the region, were rendered impotent and unproductive. The Consultant of first choice on environmental matters urged the government to take precautionary measures in waste management and called Nigerians to detest from importing hazardous toxic wastes from the west because the health impairments associated with it, outweigh the financial gains.