Lagos’ markets, roads, gutters littered with waste as residents shun proper disposal channels

…Govt explains hiccup in waste evacuation

…Outbreak of cholera, others imminent, experts warn

…Ineffective health inspection weakening emphasis on hygiene

Every corner of Lagos State, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, is currently littered with waste.

From market places to entertainment, sports arenas, to road medians, to drainage, and to expressways, waste materials are all over the place.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) appears overwhelmed by the volume of waste generated in Lagos.

Similarly, the Private Sector Participant (PSP) arrangement also seems to have broken down, with residents in many hard-to-reach areas of the state patronising cart pushers instead of government approved waste collectors. In many parts of Lagos, residents have become more lawless as they dump their wastes indiscriminately.

According to environmentalists, this act calls for reorientation of Lagosians, especially those selling in the markets and by roadsides on the benefit of proper waste disposal – a consciousness that was once imbibed in the state by residents in years gone by; but appears to have been done away with.

While Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) struggles to manage the daily waste generated in Lagos, concerned citizens have also highlighted the absence or ineffectiveness of health inspection officers across the 20 local government areas and 37 LCDAs, saying their shortcomings may have encouraged the unhygienic lifestyle by residents.

It is argued that if care is not taken urgently, the current state of waste management could promote all manner of illnesses in society.

“Waste is not merely something to be discarded, it is a necessity for driving innovation, creating jobs, generating wealth, and promoting sustainable development,” Oluwapelumi Ojo, SSA on sanitation, to the governor of Osun State, told BusinessDay.

He added that waste utilisation should be the focus of every Lagosian, because the reuse of waste presents enormous economic opportunities. According to him, Lagos must focus on utilising waste as a valuable resource, rather than simply managing waste.

Ojo said that Lagosians must embrace the consciousness that waste has value and purpose. “When we shift our mindset from seeing waste as a burden to recognising it as a resource, we unlock countless opportunities for economic growth, environmental protection, and a more circular economy.”

Moses Lawal, a social commentator, told BusinessDay that the traditional approach to waste management in Lagos State can no longer cope with the volume of waste generated, and would have to be upgraded and expanded.

He added that the matching order given by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is a good one, but pointed out that the reality on ground will make the best effort to give cosmetic, superficial, and ephemeral results.

“While I understand the constraints, I am highly dissatisfied!”

According to Lawal, the reworked model that incentivises waste management through recycling remains the only deep-lasting permanent option.

“For example, the fruit market at Ikosi was recently re-engineered to produce biogas for electricity generation.

“That’s a clear win-win situation whereby the large volume of food wastes generated by the market and that are biodigestable are used to generate cheap biogas to power the market,” Lawal said.

He disclosed that the initiative is a win-win for all the stakeholders – indicating that waste management in the market no longer need external push factors or a matching order from the governor.

“I repeat, the governor’s directive is not a long-term solution, as is evidenced in the snail-speed implementation. As each location is cleared, heaps of waste have been reappearing ‘mysteriously’, clearly indicating a zero-sum game,” Lawal said.

He further said that if things are well implemented and Lagosians properly incentivised to sort their wastes as being planned, sanity will be restored with minimal to zero force.

“The era of land-filling waste disposal methods is surely coming to an end no doubt, with the gradual clearing of Olusosun. However, the new options the MoUs of which were signed some time ago need to get working fast for us to have a cleaner environment.”

Oyejoko Akinwale, medical director, Solomon Jayden hospitals, said when people mess up the environment, they indirectly mess up with their health. According to him, Lagosians through their poor hygiene and waste management make themselves the primary cause of environmental-related challenges.

“We are the difficult-to-solve part of our problem. If we don’t kill ourselves, nothing else can. It is either we learn how to manage waste effectively or we get wasted by germs and preventable diseases,” Akinwale said.

Babajide Okeowo, editor, TheMatrix Newspaper, said Lagosians should do better with their waste disposal and management process to prevent blocking drainages and causing flooding across the state.

“It is just unfortunate that many Lagosians do not patronise waste disposal companies or PSP operators. So, they resort to dumping refuse indiscriminately at every slight rainfall.

“What they fail to understand is the ripple effect of their action as evidenced in the flooding that ravaged many parts of the state recently,” Okeowo said.

Lagos Government’s stand

The Lagos State Government has declared zero tolerance for waste dumping on all roads across the state and is set to establish a “Waste Police” to support environmental sanitation efforts.

The decision followed the directive of Governor Sanwo-Olu for the emergency evacuation of waste on Lagos roads.

However, it’s been over one week since the directive was issued by the governor and it appears LAWMA is overwhelmed with level of waste on Lagos roads.

On the back of this, the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), in collaboration with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), jointly resolved to ensure that roads, motor parks and garages remain clean at all times.

It appears the initiative is yet to fully take-off across many parts of the metropolis. For instance, the drainage channel at Mile 2, along the Lagos-Badagry expressway was cleared about two weeks ago.

As at the time of filing this report on Friday night – a large proportion of the waste have remained on the expressway with some getting washed backed into the gutter following the heavy rain fall experienced last week across Lagos.

Ministry’s appeal for collaboration

Tokunbo Wahab, the state commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, blamed indiscriminate waste disposal for worsening flooding, and urged Lagosians to take greater responsibility for protecting drainage channels.

Wahab said that when people dump refuse into drains or ignore environmental violations, they contribute to flooding.

“We must address how we handle our environment,” Wahab said during a recent conversation on last week’s flooding on X Space, adding that “Government cannot do it alone.”

Responding to complaints about poor waste collection in some parts of the metropolis, Wahab apologised to affected residents and promised immediate intervention.

He noted that LAWMA had sanctioned several private waste operators for poor service delivery.

He also encouraged residents to report blocked drains, illegal dumping and environmental infractions, as he called for residents’ collaboration with the state government.

According to him, community participation is critical to improving flood management across the state. “We all have a role to play. If you see something that threatens the environment, report it.

“The government and citizens must work together to reduce the impact of flooding,” Wahab said.