Abia’s Waste Management Emergency: The Waste2Table Proposal
Abia cannot build a modern economy on piles of garbage.A state can reconstruct roads, rehabilitate hospitals, improve electricity and attract businesses, but persistent heaps of waste can quickly undermine the image of progress. A clean environment signals order, responsible leadership and readiness for investment.
For Abia, waste management is therefore more than a sanitation issue. It is tied to public health, jobs, agriculture, investment and the overall quality of life.
This makes Governor Alex Otti’s declaration of a State of Emergency on Waste Management significant. The improvements already visible in Aba and Umuahia suggest that sustained government action can change the situation.
But Abia now has an opportunity to go a step further: what if the waste being removed from its streets could also create jobs, produce fertiliser, generate energy and support farmers?
That is the idea behind a proposal submitted by Waste2Table Limited.
Otti’s Changing Abia
Governor Otti inherited a state facing significant infrastructure and public service challenges and came into office promising to change the narrative.
His administration has since undertaken major road projects, rehabilitated hospitals, improved water infrastructure, embarked on electricity projects and employed thousands of Abians, particularly in the education sector.
It also intervened in critical areas where residents had endured years of hardship, including the replacement of the old Omenuko Bridge, which had become notorious for accidents and loss of lives.
These projects form part of a broader attempt to reposition Abia.
Waste management is now an important part of that transformation.
Rather than treating waste simply as something to collect and dump, the state could develop a system that converts it into useful products and economic opportunities.
The Waste2Table Proposal
In November 2023, Waste2Table Limited, an indigenous waste-conversion company operating in Lagos State, submitted a proposal to the Abia State Government titled “Waste to Wealth Proposal to Abia State Government.”
The company, formerly known as EarthCare Compost, focuses on converting organic waste into agricultural products while creating employment, particularly for young people and women.
Its operations include organic fertiliser production for farmers involved in vegetable farming, poultry and fishery. The company has also piloted a waste-to-energy project at its headquarters in Ikorodu, Lagos.
According to the proposal:
“Our plan is to produce organic fertilizers from waste at no cost to the government. The opportunities are immense because Abia State is largely agrarian.”
The company proposed selling the resulting fertiliser below the cost of industrial chemical fertilisers, with revenue shared between Waste2Table and the state government.
Its proposed arrangement was 90 per cent for the company and 10 per cent for the government, although it indicated that the ratio could change if the state invested in the recycling project.
How the Model Would Work
Waste2Table Managing Director, Mr. Gregory Ohiaeri, said the government would primarily need to provide land and ensure that waste reaches the processing facility.
He explained:
“The state government can allocate a minimum of twenty (20) hectares of land near a highway or accessible road for waste dumping. Waste2Table will then deploy its equipment and expertise to convert the waste into useful products—compost for soil improvement, protein for animal feed, and biogas for renewable energy—at no cost to the government.”
Under the proposed arrangement, the state’s waste management agency would transport collected waste to the designated site.
Where such an arrangement is unavailable, Ohiaeri said Waste2Table could manage the process from collection to conversion, or work with another waste collection company.
The waste would then be segregated and processed into compost, animal-feed protein and biogas.
The Ogunmakin Expansion
Waste2Table’s recent expansion in Ogun State adds another dimension to its model.
The company has reportedly acquired five hectares of agricultural land in Ogunmakin for an integrated organic waste recycling and fertiliser production facility.
Ohiaeri
“Ohiaeri said the investment is aimed at advancing waste conversion, job creation, agricultural research and practical training.
The facility is expected to combine aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion and Black Soldier Fly larvae technology to process food waste, agricultural residues and other organic materials.
The planned outputs include organic fertiliser and protein feed for livestock and aquaculture.
“This project not only supports Ogun State’s green economy goals but also provides local employment, improves soil health, and reduces environmental pollution,” Ohiaeri said.
The facility will also reportedly include a demonstration farm and training hub for farmers, students and other agricultural stakeholders.
Why Abia Should Take Notice
For Abia, the attraction is obvious.
A functioning waste-conversion system could address several problems at once: refuse disposal, unemployment, expensive agricultural inputs, soil degradation and energy needs.
Waste from Aba, Umuahia and other urban centres could be collected, sorted and processed instead of ending up in uncontrolled dumps.
Organic material could become compost for farmers. Other waste streams could produce animal-feed protein or biogas.
And the entire value chain—from collection and sorting to processing, transportation, farming and marketing—could create employment.
For a state with a large youth population and a strong agricultural and commercial base, that is an opportunity worth examining.
From Waste Emergency to Wealth
Abia does not have to reinvent the wheel.
If the Waste2Table proposal is found, after proper technical, environmental and financial due diligence, to be viable, the state could explore a partnership that links waste management with agriculture, renewable energy, employment and private-sector investment.
The immediate reward would be cleaner communities.
The bigger prize could be a new economic model in which waste becomes an input for agriculture, energy and employment.
Governor Otti’s background in economics, banking and investment gives his administration an opportunity to view waste management through that broader economic lens.
Abia has begun the difficult work of changing its infrastructure and public-service narrative. The next challenge is ensuring that the transformation extends to the environment in which people live and work.
The question is no longer simply how Abia can get rid of its waste. The bigger question is how the state can turn that waste into wealth.
By Innocent Onoh (+2348034158834)
