Lagos Summons Waste Operators over Irregular Refuse Collection

The Lagos State Government has directed the Lagos Waste Management Authority to convene an urgent meeting with Private Sector Participation waste operators, following growing complaints from residents over irregular refuse collection in parts of the state.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said over the weekend that the intervention became necessary after residents raised concerns about inconsistent waste evacuation services, particularly in densely populated areas of Alimosho Local Government Area.

“I heard the concerns of residents regarding PSP operators not coming regularly to cart away refuse, particularly in a large area like Alimosho.

“I am directing LAWMA to convene an urgent meeting with the operators to address whatever challenges are hindering their service delivery,” he said.

The directive comes as the state government continues efforts to strengthen its revived monthly environmental sanitation programme, which was reintroduced earlier this year after being suspended for nearly a decade.

Wahab said feedback from the first two months of the exercise suggested growing public participation and renewed awareness of environmental responsibility among residents.

The commissioner spoke after monitoring the May edition of the sanitation exercise in Orisumbare, Shasha, Alimosho, alongside the wife of the governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.

According to him, participation remained strong despite the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

“Despite just concluding the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, residents still came out in strong numbers to clean their surroundings, proving that the culture of collective responsibility is steadily returning.

“When we appraise the first two months of this revived exercise that was suspended for nearly 10 years, I can confidently say we are not doing badly at all and we will continue to step up engagement and advocacy to deepen awareness,” he said.

The commissioner also commended the Chairman of Alimosho Local Government, Johnson Akinpelumi, for deploying additional waste management assets to support sanitation efforts in the area.

“In the meantime, I commend the Alimosho Local Government Chairman, Mr Johnson Akinpelumi, for providing two additional compactor trucks to complement LAWMA’s efforts; this is the kind of proactive partnership we need across all councils,” he said.

Wahab further disclosed that the state government remained committed to its planned reward scheme for the cleanest local government area, noting that assessments were ongoing.

“On the reward for the cleanest local government, I assure you it remains on course as performance figures are being collated and results will be released soon,” he said.

He added that reports from monitoring teams deployed to other parts of the state indicated that compliance with the sanitation exercise was gradually improving.

“I also received reports that the Head of Service, Mr Olabode Agoro, led another team to monitor the exercise in Apapa and the feedback shows the momentum is gradually building.

“We will keep pushing, keep advocating, and keep enforcing because nobody wants to live in a dirty environment that breeds diseases,” he said.

The commissioner thanked residents who participated in the exercise and urged Lagosians to sustain efforts aimed at improving environmental cleanliness across the state.