Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has acknowledged residents’ frustration over the recent accumulation of waste across parts of the state, describing the situation as unacceptable and promising direct action to restore efficient waste collection.
Sanwo-Olu made the commitment after inspecting waste management operations at the Olusosun dumpsite, one of Lagos’ major waste disposal facilities, alongside his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and other senior government officials.
The governor said the inspection was part of efforts to identify the operational bottlenecks behind recent collection delays and fix the waste management system from the ground up.
“I know the collection delays across Lagos over the past few weeks have been frustrating and seeing waste piled up is unacceptable. We are taking direct action to fix this,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He disclosed that the state government was leveling and expanding access roads at its five major dumpsites to enable waste trucks dump and turn around more efficiently without unnecessary delays.
To strengthen waste collection capacity, the governor said the government had ordered 160 new compactors, while development partners were providing additional heavy-duty equipment.
Sanwo-Olu also announced plans to restructure the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, for stricter oversight of operations on the ground.
He said the government was equally working with Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators to improve their performance and ensure that only capable and committed teams remained on the roads.
Beyond the immediate response to the waste build-up, the governor unveiled longer-term infrastructure plans aimed at changing how waste is handled, sorted and recycled across Lagos.
According to him, two major Transfer Loading Stations are being constructed at Olusosun and Solous 3, while Material Recovery Facilities are planned for Epe and Badagry to modernise waste sorting and recycling.
The intervention comes as residents in several parts of Lagos continue to contend with piles of uncollected refuse, making waste management one of the most visible environmental challenges confronting the megacity.
Sanwo-Olu, however, stressed that government action alone would not be enough to keep Lagos clean.
He warned residents against indiscriminate dumping, saying environmental enforcement officers would arrest and prosecute offenders.
“Keeping Lagos clean requires effort from all of us. Indiscriminate dumping on our streets will not be tolerated,” the governor said.
Deputy Governor Hamzat, who also shared his experience of the inspection online, said the government had seen the challenges at the dumpsite firsthand and was focused on addressing the core problems rather than applying temporary fixes.
“We are fully committed to building a system that actually works for you and keeps our neighbourhoods clean,” Hamzat said, while urging residents to dispose of their waste responsibly.
For Lagosians, the real test of the intervention will be seen beyond the dumpsites—in the streets, markets and neighbourhoods where residents want to see refuse cleared on time and a cleaner environment restored.
Sanwo-Olu assured residents that the government was already working to fix the system, adding: “We are on it and you will see the difference soon.”
