… Strengthens community-led enforcement across Lagos

… Allays fears of epidemic outbreak

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has reinforced its enforcement operations across the state, targeting indiscriminate dumping, black spots, and persistent environmental violations that threaten public health and urban resilience.

Speaking on the Authority’s latest actions, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, acknowledged the waste management challenges experienced in some areas in the state, noting that the Authority remained firmly committed to ending all forms of reckless disposal habits.

He said, “The state’s coastal geography made enforcement very important, to prevent environmental hazards. A bag of refuse tossed into a drain anywhere in the metropolis does not disappear. It blocks culverts, worsens flooding, exposes households to contaminated water, and sends plastics and debris into our canals and lagoon systems. Illegal dumping has consequences far beyond the act itself.”

He revealed that LAWMA has moved from episodic crackdowns to a steady, intelligence-driven enforcement model that links surveillance, community reporting, and swift prosecution.

According to him, the Authority has intensified far-reaching enforcement campaigns across the state, to stamp out all forms of indiscriminate waste dumping, arresting and prosecuting recalcitrant offenders, to serve as a deterrent to others.

“Enforcement is central to our mission. Lagos cannot achieve a clean, flood-resilient city without consequences for illegal dumping and non-compliance. We are acting decisively, to ensure there’s no room for environmental infractions ,” he said.

He assured that the Authority would continue to work with PSP operators, providing backup services, especially in areas that needed urgent attention, adding that the state government is poised to assist PSPs to recapitalise, ensuring optimal performance.

In a related development, LAWMA has announced the successful evacuation and enforcement operation recently carried out at a notorious black spot in Somolu Local Council Development Area.

The LAWMA boss explained that the Authority has fully cleared the accumulated waste at the location, which had long served as a dumping hotspot, while partnering with Somolu LCDA, Bariga LCDA, and the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) to secure the site and launch night and early-morning patrols.

He said, “Several offenders have already been apprehended, with commercial tricycle operators featuring prominently among those caught dumping illegally. This shows that advocacy, enforcement must be continuous and backed by real-time surveillance.

The Chairmen of Somolu LCDA and Bariga LCDA have pledged strong collaboration with LAWMA, assuring sustained advocacy and strict enforcement in line with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources’ call for LGAs and LCDAs to take full ownership of waste management in their jurisdictions.

To deepen public education, he said LAWMA has intensified its radio programmes and social media engagements, sensitising residents on recycling, proper waste disposal, the role of PSP operators, and penalties for environmental infractions.

The LAWMA helmsman stressed that environmental protection could not be left entirely to the government, urging residents to support the Authority’s efforts by acquiring covered waste bins for their premises, avoiding indiscriminate waste dumping and cart pushers, while patronising assigned PSP operators.

He added that the Authority would continue to collaborate with traditional rulers, market leaders, resident associations, and key stakeholders in the drive to curb environmental abuse, appealing to residents to report any suspicious waste movement.

“While enforcement is our duty, voluntary compliance is what will secure the future. Lagosians must embrace responsible waste disposal, because a polluted environment eventually harms everyone. Cleanliness is a shared responsibility,” he said.

For waste management issues, complaints, or reports, residents are encouraged to reach LAWMA through the following toll-free lines: 080000LAWMA (08000052962), 07080601020, and 617, or visit www.lawma.gov.ng.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), in collaboration with enforcement partners, has secured court convictions for eight individuals arrested for indiscriminate waste dumping along Ejigbo Road, Lagos.The environmental offenders, apprehended on June 28, 2025, following credible intelligence and community reports of persistent illegal dumping activities in the area, were subsequently arraigned before the Special Offences Court sitting at Bolade, Oshodi.Delivering judgement, the court imposed varying sentences on the offenders. Four of the convicts were fined ₦20,000 each, with the alternative of performing community service. Four other individuals facing a three-count charge were fined ₦75,000 each or an option of custodial sentencing.Commenting on the outcome of the prosecution, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, reaffirmed the agency’s zero tolerance for environmental violations, stressing that prosecution and sentencing were vital tools for deterring reckless disposal of waste across the city.He said, “This is a clear signal that Lagos will no longer tolerate habitual abuse of the environment. The successful prosecution and sentencing of those individuals mark a significant step in our enforcement efforts. Let it be known that illegal waste dumping will attract not just arrest, but public trial, fines, community service, or even outright jail term. Our city must be clean, and we will hold offenders accountable for their own actions”.Gbadegesin noted that out of the 11 individuals initially apprehended, two minors were released after counselling, and one adult was discharged on compassionate grounds with the approval of the presiding magistrate, adding that the eight who stood trial were convicted based on clear evidence of violations of extant sanitation laws.He stated that LAWMA would continue to intensify both enforcement and public sensitisation across all areas and emerging residential corridors, where infractions were more frequent due to rapid urbanisation.“We are scaling up monitoring and enforcement activities across the metropolis. At the same time, we are expanding our advocacy outreach to educate residents, especially newcomers, about their civic duties and environmental obligations,” he added.He further urged residents to report environmental infractions, support PSP operators, and avoid patronising illegal waste handlers such as cart pushers, reiterating LAWMA’s commitment to working with communities and other stakeholders to achieve a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Lagos.For further information or to report any waste management issues, residents are advised to contact LAWMA through its official lines: 080000LAWMA (08000052962), 07080601020 or 617 or send an email to info@lawma.gov.ng.

… Commemorates World Environment Day 2025The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has urged residents to embrace proper waste management, to ensure a clean and healthy environment during and after this year’s Id-el-Kabir celebration.In a statement released on Wednesday, the Managing Director/CEO Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, assured residents that extensive provisions have been made to handle the anticipated increase in waste generation throughout the Sallah period, noting that waste management services would be provided across all designated routes, ensuring seamless evacuation of refuse in every part of the city.He said, “Eid-el-Kabir is a season of joy, gratitude, and communal harmony. While residents celebrate with their families and loved ones, we must all remain mindful of our civic duties, especially in relation to the environment. Proper handling and disposal of animal waste, food remnants, and packaging materials are non-negotiable if we are to maintain the standards of hygiene we all desire.”He said that LAWMA officials and enforcement teams, would be monitoring field operations and waste disposal activities around the metropolis, to ensure compliance with best practices, during and after the festivities.Gbadegesin appealed to residents to avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse on road medians, drainage channels, and open spaces, stressing that such actions compromised public health and would attract penalties, urging butchers and livestock dealers to make use of approved slaughter facilities across the state, to minimise contamination and maintain sanitary standards in line with public health regulations.While wishing the Muslim faithful a peaceful and joyful celebration, Gbadegesin reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to maintaining environmental cleanliness, not just during festive periods but throughout the year, appealing to Lagosians to support the Authority’s efforts by bagging their waste properly, containerising and ensuring timely evacuation through assigned PSP operators.In a related development, LAWMA has joined its counterparts across the globe to commemorate 2025 World Environment Day, marked every 5th June. This year’s theme, “Putting an End to Plastic Pollution”, places emphasis on the urgent need to save the environment from the dangers of plastic pollution.The LAWMA boss noted that the theme resonated deeply with the agency’s ongoing mission to transform Lagos into a cleaner and healthier city, by tackling the menace of plastic pollution, adding that environmental restoration was not a one-time event but a sustained process that began with individual choices and community-based action.He stated further that LAWMA had commenced a series of advocacy and clean-up initiatives in collaboration with environment stakeholders, schools, and community-based organisations, aimed at encouraging environmental ownership at the grassroots level, calling on market associations, religious leaders, and neighborhood groups, to help educate their members on how small daily actions, such as clearing gutters, separating recyclables, or discouraging street dumping, could lead to meaningful and positive long-term ecological impact.He concluded by stressing that World Environment Day 2025 offered an opportunity for every Lagos resident to recommit to building a healthier and more sustainable future, urging all stakeholders to reflect on the consequences of environmental neglect and join hands with government agencies to restore and protect the ecosystem that sustains lives and livelihoods in the state.For further information or to report any waste management issues, residents are advised to contact LAWMA through its official lines: 080000LAWMA (08000052962), 07080601020 or 617 or send an email to info@lawma.gov.ng.