Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared a state of emergency on waste collection, directing immediate measures to tackle the growing refuse crisis across the state.
Sanwo-Olu announced the decision during an inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota on Wednesday, where he met with stakeholders in the waste management sector.
The governor attributed the slow pace of waste collection in parts of Lagos partly to the failure of some Private Sector Participation operators to meet their obligations.
He said recent fires at some dumpsites had also disrupted operations, but noted that contractors had resumed work to clear the affected sites and restore normal disposal activities.
As part of the immediate response, Sanwo-Olu directed the rehabilitation of access roads to the Ewu Elepe and Oke Oso dumpsites to improve the movement of waste trucks.
He also disclosed that the state government had ordered 160 modern compactors to increase waste collection capacity.
The governor said the government was also working with PSP operators to increase their fleet and remove operators who lacked the capacity to effectively manage waste collection.
“We don’t want to have a situation where we will have 800 PSP operators for a job that can only be done by 400 operators,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said ongoing compaction works at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites would improve their capacity to receive municipal waste.
He added that the state was developing transfer loading stations and Material Recovery Facilities to improve waste handling, sorting and recycling.
According to him, residents would begin to see physical infrastructure for the projects before the end of the year, with some facilities expected to be completed next year.
The governor also warned residents against indiscriminate dumping of refuse, directing the immediate prosecution of anyone caught dumping waste in unauthorised locations.
He further announced plans to reform the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to address weaknesses in supervision and improve the efficiency of waste management operations.
