Sanwo-Olu Asks LAWMA Boss to Resign Over Lagos Waste Crisis

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reportedly asked the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over the persistent accumulation of refuse across the state.

According to reports, the governor was dissatisfied with the pace of waste evacuation and the alleged failure to implement directives aimed at addressing the crisis.

The reported decision followed Sanwo-Olu’s visit to the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota about a month ago, where he expressed concern over waste management operations and directed that urgent steps be taken to improve the situation.

Refuse has continued to accumulate along roads, residential streets and drainage channels in several parts of Lagos, raising concerns about environmental sanitation and public health.

Affected areas include Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2.

The situation has been linked partly to delays at major disposal facilities, including Olusosun, where waste collection operators have reportedly faced long queues and difficulties unloading refuse.

In September, Sanwo-Olu declared a state of emergency on waste management after inspecting the Olusosun dumpsite. He also announced measures to improve waste evacuation, including the deployment of additional equipment and plans to strengthen the state’s fleet of compactor trucks.

The governor had attributed some of the challenges to operational difficulties at dumpsites and the failure of some private sector waste collection operators to meet their obligations.

Meanwhile, Gbadegesin said in a recent update on his X account that clearance operations and additional truck deployments were ongoing in several locations, including Mile 2 and Doyin-Orile.