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Sanwo-Olu Reportedly Orders LAWMA MD Gbadegesin to Resign
Sanwo-Olu Reportedly Orders LAWMA MD Gbadegesin to Resign
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over the worsening accumulation of refuse across Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu is dissatisfied with the slow pace of waste evacuation and Gbadegesin’s failure to promptly implement directives issued after the governor inspected the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota.
The crisis has left heaps of refuse on roads, medians and in residential areas, while operational problems at Olusosun have delayed waste trucks and disrupted collection schedules across the metropolis.
Sanwo-Olu had in September declared a “small state of emergency” on waste management, ordering urgent measures to improve disposal capacity and announcing the procurement of 160 new compactor trucks.
October 19, () – Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over the worsening waste crisis across the state.
According to Punch, the governor’s decision followed mounting concerns over the accumulation of refuse on roads, medians and in residential communities, despite directives to improve waste evacuation across the metropolis.
Sources familiar with the development, said Sanwo-Olu is dissatisfied with Gbadegesin’s handling of the crisis, particularly the slow pace of refuse evacuation and the failure to promptly implement directives aimed at clearing the growing backlog of waste.
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One of the sources said,the governor’s dissatisfaction, intensified following his visit to the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota about a month ago, where he inspected operations and ordered urgent measures to address challenges hampering waste evacuation.
He subsequently asked Gbadegesin to step down as head of LAWMA as the waste situation continued to generate complaints from residents.
Channel
The development comes amid a prolonged sanitation challenge in parts of Lagos, where residents have complained of refuse remaining uncollected for days and, in some areas, weeks.
reports that heaps of waste have accumulated in residential areas, along roads and medians and around drainage channels, leaving affected communities with overflowing refuse points and offensive odours.
Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators responsible for collecting household waste have also faced complaints over irregular evacuation, with collection trucks sometimes failing to return to communities for prolonged periods.
Olusosun Bottlenecks Disrupt Collection
The waste crisis has been compounded by operational problems at the Olusosun dumpsite, one of Lagos’ major waste disposal facilities.
Waste operators have complained about long queues, damaged access roads and delays in offloading refuse at the facility.
Some truck drivers spend several days waiting to discharge their loads before returning to their collection routes.
The delays have reduced the number of collection trips that operators can make, leaving trucks unable to return quickly to neighbourhoods to evacuate fresh waste and contributing to the backlog across the state.
The Lagos State Government has acknowledged the difficulties affecting waste evacuation, particularly the pressure on disposal facilities.
Sanwo-Olu Declared Waste Emergency
In September, Sanwo-Olu inspected the Olusosun dumpsite as complaints over waste collection intensified across Lagos.
Following the inspection, the governor declared what he described as a “small state of emergency” on waste management and ordered immediate measures to improve refuse evacuation.
He directed that the number of trucks capable of offloading waste at Olusosun be increased and additional equipment deployed to improve operations at the facility.
The governor also ordered the reactivation of other disposal facilities to reduce pressure on Olusosun and shorten the turnaround time for waste collection trucks.
Sanwo-Olu further announced that the state government had ordered 160 new compactor trucks to strengthen collection capacity across Lagos.
The intervention was designed to increase the number of trucks available for waste evacuation and clear the backlog that had accumulated in communities.
Despite the measures, residents have continued to complain about delayed refuse evacuation in parts of the state.
LAWMA, working with PSP operators, is responsible for coordinating waste collection and disposal across Lagos.
The agency has also intensified enforcement against indiscriminate dumping and repeatedly warned residents and businesses against disposing of refuse on roads, medians, and drainage channels.
However, difficulties at disposal facilities and delays in collection have continued to affect evacuation in several communities.
The Lagos State Government had not announced a successor to Gbadegesin as of Monday.
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