Sanwo-Olu asks LAWMA boss to resign over waste crisis – Report

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reportedly asked the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over the persistent heaps of refuse across the state.

According to Punch Newspaper, an unnamed source within the agency said the governor was unhappy with Mr Gbadegesin’s handling of the crisis and had asked him to step down.

The source noted that the governor became dissatisfied after visiting the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota about a month ago and directing that urgent action be taken to improve waste management.

“The governor was upset when he observed that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive. So, over the weekend, he asked him to resign, although he is begging and has reached out to some prominent Lagosians to beg on his behalf,” Punch quoted the source as saying.

It is not clear when Mr Gbadegesin succeeded in persuading the governor to rescind his decision.

PREMIUM TIMES contacted the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, via text messages seeking the government’s reaction to the report, but he had not responded as of the time of filing this report.

The reported move comes after months of complaints from residents about refuse piling up on roads, streets and drainage channels in parts of Lagos, including Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2.

In September, Mr Sanwo-Olu declared a state of emergency on waste collection after inspecting the Olusosun dumpsite. During the visit, he met with waste management stakeholders alongside his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, to discuss measures to improve collection and disposal across the state.

The governor blamed part of the problem on the failure of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to meet their obligations in the preceding weeks.

He also said ongoing waste compaction at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites would increase their capacity to receive municipal waste. Recent fires at the facilities had disrupted operations, he added.

The crisis has also prompted action against private waste collectors. In October, LAWMA withdrew the operating licences of six PSP operators over concerns about their performance. 

Despite the interventions, Mr Gbadegesin said the agency was continuing clearance operations in affected communities.

In a post on his X account on Saturday, he said 11 of the 15 routes covered by the week’s programme had received field updates.

He reported that Mile 2 had been cleared, while three additional trucks had been deployed to Doyin-Orile and its environs. Daily collection was also continuing on Ijesha Road and in Itire-Ikate, while Bucknor-Ijegun had been cleared and placed on a three-times-weekly collection schedule.

According to him, LAWMA had taken over interim collection in Okeira and Oluodo following the termination of their PSP operators’ contracts. Collection was continuing in Ogolonto and Igbokusu, while Obalende had been cleared and provided with a waste bin.

Clearance was ongoing in Iraye, but the agency was still awaiting field updates from 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,” Mr Gbadegesin wrote.

Mr Gbadegesin was reappointed as LAWMA managing director after Mr Sanwo-Olu’s re-election.