Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has apologised to residents over the state’s waste management challenges, assuring them that the government is addressing the situation. In a statement reposted on his official X handle on Friday from an interview on ARISE Television, Wahab said: “We had a challenge and we are fixing it.”
Background of the crisis
The apology comes weeks after PREMIUM TIMES published a special report documenting how mounting refuse heaps had overwhelmed major roads, markets and residential communities across Lagos, raising concerns over environmental sanitation and public health. The report examined the state’s struggling waste management system, highlighting operational inefficiencies and infrastructure gaps that have hampered effective refuse collection. It also featured recommendations from researchers at the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), including decentralised transfer loading stations, waste segregation at source and stronger regulation of the sector.
Government response
Following the publication, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered an immediate scale-up of waste evacuation across the state, acknowledging residents’ concerns and directing relevant agencies to intensify refuse clearance operations. He also promised longer-term reforms to strengthen the waste management system.
New strategy
Wahab said the state is transitioning from its long-standing linear waste management system to a circular model that treats waste as a resource rather than waste. According to him, the new approach is designed to improve environmental sustainability while creating economic value from waste. The commissioner also announced that the state had commissioned a food waste digester at Ikosi to convert organic waste into energy. He said the project was piloted and funded by C-40 in support of the state’s vision for sustainable waste management. Wahab reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening waste management systems and ensuring cleaner communities for residents.
