By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has asked the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over persistent heaps of refuse across the state.
Quoting an anonymous source in the agency, PUNCH Online said the dissatisfied with Gbadegesin’s handling of the waste crisis and had asked him to step down.
The source attributed the governor’s decision to the slow pace of waste evacuation and the alleged failure to promptly implement directives aimed at addressing the situation.
“The governor was at the Olusosun Dumpsite in Ojota a month ago and was dissatisfied with the state of things. He gave instructions that immediate action be taken on the matter, as he has declared a state of emergency on waste management.
“The governor was upset when he observed that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive.
For months, residents across Lagos have complained about poor waste collection, with refuse piling up along roads, streets, road medians and drainage channels.
Affected areas include Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2. The accumulation has raised concerns about environmental sanitation, public health and the impact on businesses and the state’s image.
PUNCH Online reported in September that Sanwo-Olu had declared a state of emergency on waste management following an inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, where he ordered immediate measures to tackle the crisis.
The governor, accompanied by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, met with stakeholders in the waste management sector to assess the challenges affecting municipal waste collection and outline immediate, medium- and long-term solutions.
Sanwo-Olu attributed the slow pace of waste collection partly to the failure of Private Sector Participation operators to meet their obligations in the preceding weeks.
He said waste compaction was ongoing at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites, adding that recent fires at the facilities had disrupted operations, although work had resumed.
According to the governor, completing the projects would enable each dumpsite to receive about 450 trucks of municipal waste daily, effectively doubling the capacity of the PSP operators.
However, refuse has continued to accumulate in several communities despite the government’s intervention.
In a weekly update on Saturday, Gbadegesin said the authority had intensified clearance operations in several locations.
In a post on his X handle, he said Mile 2 had been cleared, while three additional trucks were deployed to Doyin-Orile and its environs. He added that daily waste collection was being sustained along Ijesha Road and Itire-Ikate, while Bucknor-Ijegun had been cleared and placed on a three-times-weekly collection schedule.
Gbadegesin also said LAWMA had taken over interim waste collection services in Okeira and Oluodo following the termination of their PSP operators’ contracts. Collection was also continuing at Ogolonto and Igbokusu, while Obalende had been cleared, provided with a waste bin and placed under surveillance.
He said clearance operations were ongoing at Iraye, while field updates were still pending for Apapa, Abesan Estate, Idimu-Ejigbo Road and the Isheri-Igando corridor.
“The objective is to progress from clearance to sustained collection and prevention of recurrence, not simply remove visible waste,” he said.
PUNCH Online’s correspondent attempted to obtain a reaction from the state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, by telephone on Monday. However, an aide to the commissioner said he was in a meeting and asked the correspondent to call back later.
Gbadegesin was reappointed as LAWMA managing director by Sanwo-Olu following the governor’s re-election.
