Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reportedly asked the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over the persistent accumulation of refuse across parts of the state.
PUNCH Online reported on Monday that an insider within the agency disclosed that the governor was dissatisfied with Gbadegesin’s handling of the waste management situation and had advised him to step down.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the governor’s decision followed his earlier inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, where he reportedly expressed concern about the state of waste management.
“The governor was at the Olusosun Dumpsite in Ojota a month ago and was dissatisfied with the state of things. He gave instructions that immediate action be taken on the matter, as he has declared a state of emergency on waste management,” the source said.
The source added that Sanwo-Olu became upset when subsequent assessments indicated that the situation had not improved despite his directives.
“The governor was upset when he observed that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive. So, over the weekend, he asked him to resign,” the source added.
The source further alleged that Gbadegesin had approached some prominent Lagos residents to intervene on his behalf.
The reported development comes amid months of complaints from residents over the growing heaps of refuse along roads, streets, residential neighbourhoods and drainage channels across Lagos.
Affected areas reportedly include Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2, where the accumulation of waste has raised concerns about environmental sanitation, public health and the impact on commercial activities.
In September, Sanwo-Olu declared a state of emergency on waste collection following an inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite. He subsequently met with stakeholders in the waste management sector to discuss immediate and long-term measures to address the crisis.
During the meeting, the governor attributed part of the problem to the failure of Private Sector Participation operators to fulfil their waste collection obligations.
He also disclosed that waste compaction operations were ongoing at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites, noting that recent fire incidents had disrupted operations.
According to the governor, completing the projects would increase the dumpsites’ capacity to receive about 450 trucks of municipal waste daily, effectively doubling the capacity of the PSP operators.
Meanwhile, Gbadegesin, in a weekly update posted on his X account on Saturday, said efforts to clear affected locations and sustain waste collection were continuing.
He reported that Mile 2 had been cleared, while three additional trucks had been deployed to Doyin-Orile and neighbouring areas.
“11 of the 15 routes in this week’s programme now have field updates,” he wrote.
The LAWMA chief also listed other locations where collection services had been sustained or clearance operations were ongoing, including Ijesha Road, Itire-Ikate, Bucknor-Ijegun, Ogolonto, Igbokusu, Obalende and Iraye.
However, he acknowledged that updates were still pending for Apapa, Abesan Estate, Idimu-Ejigbo Road and the Isheri-Igando corridor.
“The objective is to progress from clearance to sustained collection and prevention of recurrence, not simply remove visible waste,” Gbadegesin stated.
PUNCH Online said it contacted the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, for comments on the reported resignation request, but an aide said the commissioner was in a meeting and asked the correspondent to call back later.
Gbadegesin was reappointed as LAWMA managing director following Sanwo-Olu’s re-election.
