… Offender remanded in Kirikiri till June 26

A joint enforcement team, comprising officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC/KAI), has arrested Mr. Ogunbadejo Olawale, a resident of No. 25 Ajiboye Street, Alapere, Ketu, caught in a viral video dumping waste on Alapere link bridge, Ketu. He has been remanded at the Kirikiri Prison by the Environmental and Special Offences Court, sitting at Oshodi, with case adjourned till 26th June 2025.

Speaking on the matter, the Honourable Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, expressed deep concern over the continued disregard for environmental regulations by some residents, emphasising that the state government would not relent in its efforts to identify and prosecute individuals who violate sanitation laws.

He said, “The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to environmental enforcement with the arrest of Mr. Ogunbadejo Olawale, a resident of No 25, Ajiboye Street, Alapere, Ketu, for illegal waste dumping. The arrest was effected by a joint enforcement operation carried out by the operatives of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (KAI), following credible surveillance and tip-offs from members of the community.”

Wahab stressed that environmental enforcement would be intensified across all local government areas, noting that surveillance activities were being upgraded and that defaulters would be prosecuted without hesitation, warning that the era of impunity was over, as no one is above the law.

“We have launched a multi-agency collaboration involving LAWMA, LAGESC/KAI, and other stakeholders to strengthen monitoring and enforcement. Let this serve as a stern warning to others: Residents must comply with the state’s waste management guidelines or face legal consequences,” he added.

The Commissioner urged community leaders, residents, and environmental volunteers to remain vigilant and continue to work with the state in reporting infractions, assuring that such civic efforts would be matched with swift action from government agencies.

Confirming the development, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, condemned the offender’s action and reiterated the Authority’s unwavering resolve to stamp out illegal waste disposal practices.

“This arrest is a strong message to those who persist in sabotaging the state’s environmental agenda. Lagos is not a dumping ground. We have invested heavily in infrastructure and personnel to maintain cleanliness across the metropolis. Anyone caught polluting public spaces will face the full weight of the law. The days of indiscriminate waste disposal are over,” he said.

Gbadegesin also acknowledged the crucial role played by residents of the Alapere community in bringing the incident to light, calling it a prime example of citizen-driven environmental vigilance.

“The success of our enforcement drive is deeply rooted in community partnership. I want to sincerely thank the residents of Alapere for their vigilance. Their input led to this arrest, and it demonstrates that when citizens and government work together, positive change is inevitable. Let us remain committed to protecting our environment for today and for future generations,” he added.

He assured Lagosians that LAWMA, in collaboration with relevant sister agencies, would continue to scale up enforcement, advocacy, and community engagement initiatives to ensure total compliance with waste management laws.

The LAWMA boss appealed to residents to embrace proper waste disposal practices, use PSP operators, and avoid patronising outlawed cart pushers, warning that all offenders would be tracked, arrested, and prosecuted as part of the state’s holistic environmental management strategy.

Also speaking, the Corps Marshal of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC/KAI), Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (Rtd), stated that the law would continue to catch up with individuals engaging in acts that deface and endanger the environment, describing the suspect’s action as reckless and counterproductive to the state’s environmental sustainability efforts.

“We are scaling up patrols and intelligence gathering, especially in areas prone to illegal dumping. No one who violates environmental laws will go unpunished. The long arm of the law will find you. I urge all residents to desist from indiscriminate waste disposal, as this threatens public health, damages infrastructure, and erodes the government’s commitment to a cleaner Lagos,” he said.

He further encouraged Lagosians to be law-abiding and to make use of approved waste disposal services to avoid legal consequences.

For waste management-related issues, complaints, and inquiries, please call LAWMA’s toll-free numbers: 080000LAWMA (08000052962), 07080601020, and 617, or send an email to info@lawma.gov.ng.

… to roll out CNG trucks, drone surveillance, community recycling centres, and waste recovery facilities

The managing director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, has issued a strong warning to property owners and residents across the state, to keep their surroundings clean or face stiff penalties, including possible loss of property.

He gave the warning during an interview on Lagos Talks 91.3FM on Monday, noting that a clean environment was a shared responsibility, not just the duty of government, adding that any activity generating waste illegally on land was prohibited, and people should be responsible for their lands or property.

He further stressed that tenants and occupants, who were not landowners, also had a legal obligation to maintain cleanliness in their immediate environment. In his words: “Even if you are not the owner, but you are living in the property, you must keep the surrounding clean. LAWMA cannot clean your frontage for you.

That responsibility falls squarely on residents”. Gbadegesin also disclosed that the Authority would soon introduce the use of drones to monitor waste disposal activities and curb indiscriminate dumping. He said: “The waste collection system is sacrosanct and will always be managed by Nigerians. Even with new opportunities, Nigerians are leading the way because we live here and understand the local challenges. Starting a business in this area is not cheap, but Nigerians have a strong drive, and once we see the value in something, we put our full effort into it. The only issue is that many people didn’t recognise the potential in waste management.” On challenges facing Private Sector Participants (PSPs), the LAWMA boss noted: “Despite many residents fulfilling their payment obligations, a significant number are still not complying, making it difficult for PSPs to recoup operational costs. As regulators, we have developed solutions, including supporting PSPs with new CNG-powered trucks to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs.” He said LAWMA was significantly expanding its recycling programs across the state, with hundreds of recycling companies now offering door-to-door collection of recyclable waste, adding that the authority had also introduced community recycling centres where residents could exchange recyclables for incentives. He noted that LAWMA remained committed to effective management of about 13,000 tons of waste generated daily in the state through various initiatives and infrastructure projects, adding that the authority had signed a memorandum of understanding with Zoomlion Nigeria to close two major dumpsites — Olusosun at Ojota and Solous 3 in Igando, within 18 months. “We will build transfer loading stations at both dumpsites to divert waste to new material recovery facilities. From Ojota, we will divert waste to a material recovery facility in Ikorodu, and from Igando to Badagry. These facilities will process 2,500 tons of waste each and feature equipment that automatically separates metals, plastics, textiles and similar materials. With these facilities, you won’t see or smell waste. Our plan is also to place solar panels on these sites to generate electricity for the surrounding facilities”, he stated. To enhance compliance and community engagement, the LAWMA boss said the Authority was strengthening partnerships with residential associations, such as the Lekki Phase 1 Residents Association (LERA), to crack down on illegal waste disposal, reiterating that maintaining a clean environment required a collective effort between the agency and residents. “LAWMA deploys 17,000 street sweepers covering 1,000 routes, but this doesn’t cover every street in the state. Residents should also support the effort by keeping their frontage and surroundings clean. If we all do the right thing daily and weekly, we will have a cleaner city. As we say, ‘Igbega Ipinle Eko, Ajumose gbogbo wa ni’ – the state’s development and progress is a collective effort”, he concluded.

…urges Lagosian to embrace recycling and circular economy

The Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, has encouraged Lagos residents to stop discarding waste, but tap the vast economic value by embracing recycling and circular economy.He said this in his office, Ijora-Olopa, while interacting with a team of journalists, who sought his views on the future of waste management in the state.He pointed out that what people call waste is actually not waste, but money, and should not be thrown away, noting that many people were making a good living from collecting waste materials and selling to recycling companies at good rates.According to him, “Waste is inevitable; it’s a byproduct of human activity. But we cannot continue to simply dispose of it, we must move towards a circular economy where we reduce, reuse, and recycle. We envision a Lagos State where at least 90% of our waste generated is recycled”.He highlighted LAWMA’s long-running campaign for every household in the city, to have separate bins for general waste and for recyclables like paper, PET bottles, cans and textiles, which recyclers could collect and give money or something of value in return.“The private sector is actively involved in collecting waste from homes to dumpsites. We want them to also take part in the recycling business. It’s more sustainable when the government creates the framework as we are doing, and the private sector drives it,” he said.He also disclosed that upon full decommissioning of Olusosun and Solous landfills, Transfer Loading Stations (TLS), would be built, as the sites would be finally turned to Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF).“We plan to build transfer loading stations at Olusosun and Solous. The vision and plan is to reduce waste, manage waste sustainably, and extract maximum value from waste,” he stressed.The LAWMA boss noted that the agency’s partnerships went beyond large corporations to start-ups like GreenDeall, which planned to build a recycling plant at a closed dumpsite at Abule-Egba, to recycle a certain class of plastic, into oil for heavy industries.He said, “Later this year, we plan to launch a deal book that will break down all the opportunities in the waste management sector. We are also creating a base map of the locations. People will be able to go to the LAWMA website to select areas of waste management they are interested in”.Gbadegesin also highlighted LAWMA’s commitment to environmental education and youth involvement in waste management, through LAWMA Academy, where a dedicated team goes round schools on weekly basis to sensitize the pupils, in addition to a monthly internship programme, where undergraduates and graduates come to learn modern waste management.“We are also looking to bring together alumni, because what we preach is for them to return to their communities as LAWMA ambassadors. We have also expanded our waste management coverage to primary schools. Mr. Governor kindly gave us 2,000 recycling bins, which had been distributed to schools, and we introduced a recycling company to collect the plastic waste from those schools”, he stressed.He further disclosed that LAWMA recently received approval from the Ministry of Education to create two modern recycling hubs in schools located in Yaba. “We want to do modern recycling in those two schools, to become the location where students from the school and around the Mainland area can come and see. They will be the ones running it. In the hub, we will have bins for metal, paper, organic and all other fractions of waste. The belief is that if we continue this and we do it well, in the years to come, the children will have imbibed the attitude that waste is wealth.”The LAWMA helmsman identified human behaviour as the biggest challenge in waste management, hence his agency’s consistent effort at bringing the younger generation of residents to the forefront of unlocking values.