The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has emphasized that managing waste in a State with over 20 million residents is a collective technical, financial, and civic responsibility.
In a public statement shared via his verified X handle on Wednesday, Wahab stressed that environmental protection requires pragmatism, infrastructure, investment, and data not polemics laced with ignorance.
He noted the importance of setting the record straight regarding waste management in Lagos, adding that there is a need to address “some fictitious claims and misrepresentation of facts.”
“We are not defending the status quo—we are doing the hard work to rebuild a sustainable megacity, emphasizing the evolution of a Cleaner Lagos,” Wahab said.
He said that the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is spearheading one of the most ambitious reforms in environmental protection in Nigeria’s history.
He also listed some initiatives being implemented by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration to achieve a cleaner Lagos.
Among these efforts are the digitisation of monitoring systems for Private Sector Participants (PSPs) to enhance citizen feedback, and the replacement of underperforming PSPs through performance-based reviews.
The State has also invested in transfer loading stations, waste flow tracking, and smart bin systems.
Wahab further revealed that the State has introduced tricycle waste compactors in hard-to-reach areas, starting with Ibeju-Lekki, in partnership with the Ibeju-Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
This, he said, is in line with the government’s commitment to decentralising waste collection.
He noted that the state is currently converting its existing diesel-powered fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG), and has acquired new CNG and electric-powered compactor trucks. Work is also ongoing on the construction of new Transfer Loading Stations (TLSs) to decentralise waste flow and reduce transport bottlenecks.
Other key initiatives include the ongoing construction of new Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), the development of waste-to-energy plants, expansion of mechanical street sweeping routes, and formal inclusion of informal waste sorters into the waste value chain.
Additionally, Wahab mentioned the creation of a statewide, geo-referenced enumeration and billing system to ensure fairness and traceability.
Underperforming PSP operators are also being replaced based on findings from zonal performance audits.
