The Lagos State Government has moved to strengthen environmental enforcement by collaborating with transport unions to tackle the growing problem of illegal waste disposal along roadsides and medians across the state.
The initiative, unveiled on Saturday, brought together officials from the Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos Waste Management Authority alongside leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria.
Speaking during a joint press briefing in Alausa, the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the partnership would empower transport operators to help monitor and report illegal dumping activities.
He explained that members of parks and garages would play a key role in identifying offenders.
“We have observed the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the roadside, and that is why we invited the transport union workers because they have branches across roads in Lagos State,” Osiyemi said.
“We want members of parks and garages across the state to serve as our eyes in monitoring those who dump refuse on the expressway indiscriminately and arrest them,” he added.
Osiyemi warned that the state government would not hesitate to prosecute individuals caught violating waste disposal regulations, stressing that environmental sanitation remains a priority.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of LAWMA, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, described roadside dumping as unacceptable and urged stronger collective action to curb the practice.
“We must read a riot act to ourselves and, from today, there must be no waste dumped on any road. We know that with the support of the transport unions, we will achieve that,” he said.
He further urged transport operators to prevent offenders from using parks and garages as dumping points.
“We want you to send anyone carrying waste back home and not allow them to dump refuse close to your garages,” Gbadegesin added.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Sola Giwa, noted that the government would begin routine inspections of parks and garages, with sanctions imposed on facilities found to be contributing to environmental pollution.
Similarly, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Sam Egube, called on transport workers to support enforcement efforts by acting as whistleblowers against illegal dumping.
The state government also reaffirmed its ongoing sanitation drive, following a recent directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordering immediate evacuation of refuse across Lagos in response to residents’ complaints over waste accumulation in several communities.
