By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Esther Onyegbula, Juliet Umeh & Cynthia Alo In the first part of this report published last Sunday, Lagos residents and council chairmen traded claims on refuse heaps ‘decorating’ roads in the state. Today, the regulator of waste, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and refuse collectors under the aegis of PSP Operators share their perspectives. Read on. Addressing the issue of waste on roads’ median in Lagos, Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, stressed that keeping the state clean remains a collective responsibility. According to him, the problem of refuse in Lagos has persisted because some residents have decided that they will put their waste on the road instead of giving it to PSP operators. He said: “Lagos will be free from dirt when Lagosians decide that Lagos will be free from dirt. It is collective. If everyone in Lagos decides today that there is not going to be waste on the road again, then we won’t have a problem. “But now, some people have decided that they will put their waste on the road instead of giving it to the PSP operator. “If you have any delay in your collection, reach out to LAWMA. Don’t bring your waste to the roadside. That’s when we will stop having waste on the roadside”. Gbadegesin, however, assured that the heaps of refuse across the state will soon be a thing of the past following strategic intervention aimed at strengthening waste evacuation operations and improving waste management infrastructure. The LAWMA MD spoke during the commissioning of the rehabilitated Road E and newly constructed disposal platforms at the Olusosun Disposal Facility, Ojota. He described the project as another significant milestone in the Lagos State Government’s efforts to eliminate operational bottlenecks, improve access within the disposal facility and enhance the efficiency of waste evacuation across the state. Municipal According to him, the rehabilitation of Road E became necessary after recent heavy rainfall affected access to parts of the facility, slowing the movement of compactor trucks responsible for evacuating municipal waste from different parts of the state. The upgraded access road, he said, would improve access for waste evacuation vehicles, enable more trucks to discharge simultaneously and reduce turnaround time at one of the state’s busiest waste disposal facilities. Gbadegesin said: “We announced that the site, we’re winding down activities, and that we have a timeline. “If you recall, we said 18 months from the time that we did groundbreaking on construction of the transfer loading station. “You have been seeing trucks coming and going and you have also been seeing the queues. “What we’ve done here is to reclaim a portion so that we can have somewhere to dispose as we wind down the activity. “That’s what we’ve achieved, and some of the waste backlog on the roads will be cleared away because it is not a good thing for us to have waste on our roads. “By opening this place, we have created more space. Over the next few days there won’t be refuse on our roads. ”This project represents another important milestone in our commitment to building a more efficient and resilient waste management system for Lagos. By improving access to the disposal facility and expanding operational capacity, we are addressing immediate challenges while laying the foundation for long term improvements in waste evacuation across the state.” Olusosun Gbadegesin noted that the intervention reflected Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to strengthening critical waste management infrastructure through strategic collaboration with the private sector. He commended Zoomlion Nigeria Limited for rehabilitating the road, saying the company’s support had evolved beyond Corporate Social Responsibility into a broader technical collaboration in waste infrastructure development. “Waste management is highly resource intensive, and addressing the challenges requires strategic partnerships, technical expertise and sustained investment. We are pleased that our collaboration with Zoomlion is contributing to the transformation of critical waste management infrastructure in Lagos,” he stated. The LAWMA boss disclosed that Zoomlion is currently constructing modern Transfer Loading Stations at Olusosun and Solous III, each designed to process 2,500 metric tonnes of waste daily. He added that the state government is also implementing other long term infrastructure projects, including Material Recovery Facilities, waste to energy plants, biogas facilities and the planned acquisition of additional compactor trucks over the next three years. Gbadegesin said Olusosun currently handles about half of the municipal solid waste generated daily in Lagos,
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
