CRITICISMS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT, FLASH FLOOD PREVENTION MEASURES, MISLEADING - LASG
Lagos State Government on Tuesday described as misleading criticisms that the state has no plans for waste management beyond clearing refuse after it accumulates and that flooding issues are being ignored.
Responding to erroneous assertions on the State's waste management measures and flash flooding issues by a governorship candidate in the 2027 elections during a recent popular TV programme, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, asserted that it is vital to distinguish between identifying challenges and acknowledging the concrete efforts being made to address them.
“Beyond emergency interventions, Lagos is investing in Modern Transfer Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project. The objective is to transition from decades of pick-and-dump practices to a sustainable system where waste becomes a resource for energy and economic value”, Wahab stressed.
The Commissioner reiterated that Lagos generates an estimated 13,000–15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily and that in May 2026 alone, LAWMA and PSP operators evacuated approximately 418,500 tonnes, averaging 13,200 tonnes daily, stressing that the growing volume is partly driven by Lagos’ expanding population and daily influx of people into the state.
He explained that the figures underscore the enormous scale of the responsibility of the state and do not suggest that every resident receives satisfactory service. “We acknowledge collection failures, underperforming PSP operators and operational bottlenecks”.
The Commissioner described Waste management as an interconnected system, saying delays at disposal facilities affect truck turnaround, disrupt collection schedules and eventually create refuse accumulation across neighbourhoods.
“At Olusosun, rehabilitation of Road E and additional disposal platforms increased operational efficiency. Truck movements across disposal facilities rose to 1,866 in the week following the intervention, while Olusosun recorded an increase from 574 to 1,012 trips”
He emphasised that the state is strengthening property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data whilst also reforming the PSP system, sanctioning and terminating operators where necessary.
“On data transparency, the principle is straightforward: a modern waste management system must measure what it manages”, he stated.
Wahab admitted that Lagos has significant work ahead, which it honestly acknowledges, but to suggest that nothing is being done ignores the investments, infrastructure and operational reforms already underway.
The Commissioner stated that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise is not a substitute for an effective waste management system and that any genuine conversation should therefore move beyond describing Lagos as “stinky” and focus on measurable outcomes: tonnes collected, routes completed, missed collections, complaint resolution, recurring blackspots and waste diverted from landfills.
According to Wahab, there are some fundamental questions the state is answering with measurable performance, like: “Does every household have an assigned waste collector? Is the operator adequately equipped to deliver the service? Was the scheduled collection route completed? When residents complain, does anyone respond? Is collected waste properly treated, recovered or disposed of? Why should emergency evacuation become a substitute for reliable daily collection?
On the criticism of the state flood prevention measures, Wahab informed that Lagos has invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations, year-round maintenance, flood abatement operations, a ban on styrofoam and single-use plastics, wetland preservation and the removal of structures on floodplains. Many of which the Governorship candidate criticised and attacked the government for.
Wahab affirmed that the interventions have reportedly reduced flooding incidents by 75–80% statewide, asserting that it is therefore misleading to suggest that flooding is being ignored or that no meaningful progress has been made.
He said any such criticism must be viewed against the realities of Lagos’ coastal geography, tidal locks and the growing impact of climate change, adding that every critic should appreciate that even the most resilient drainage infrastructure cannot eliminate flash flooding in a coastal megacity.
“While challenges remain, the evidence of sustained interventions must form part of the conversation. Flooding is a global coastal challenge, not one peculiar to Lagos. Amsterdam, Thailand, Nepal, Afghanistan (despite being landlocked), even the almighty USA. Criticism should be informed by geography, climate realities and the progress already recorded, not political rhetoric”, he opined.
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