March 23, 2022

The Managing Director/CEO, Lagos Waste Management Authority, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, delivering his address at the stakeholders’ meeting on solid waste management held on Tuesday.

The Managing Director/CEO of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni has charged residents to embrace waste containerisation for seamless evacuation of waste and prevention of flooding as the rainy season approaches.

He also enjoined Lagosians to procure the standard waste bins for easy segregation and effective containerisation in line with the recently launched “Adopt-a-Bin” initiative.

Odumboni made the appeal during an advocacy programme organised by the Agency and held in Agege Local Government and Orile-Agege Local Council Development Areas in continuation of its stakeholders’ meeting aimed at educating people on best waste management practices across the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas.

Maintaining that the standard waste bins are durable and fitted with smart devices, making them some of the best obtainable anywhere in the world, the General Manager noted, however, that residents could choose to procure alternative bins to store their waste.

His words: “We are here today because your well being is our priority. Health they say is wealth. This is our watchword in LAWMA. We have come to encourage you to do the right thing at the right time, by procuring bins provided by LAWMA. You can pay by instalment, rather than allowing refuse to litter streets. Those wastes alongside the ones dumped inside drainage would cause flooding when it rains. It can only get better if we all cooperate to do what is right”.

“These two councils have developed tremendously over time. I must commend the leadership of the Councils for a job well done, especially in the area of environmental cleanliness. We want you to do more. Empower your youths, LAWMA will train them on waste policing, let them assist health officers and help carry out enforcement against recalcitrant tenements.”, Odumboni stressed.

He called on unemployed youths to key into the business opportunities in recycling by sorting recyclable wastes like pet bottles, cans, cartons, sachet nylons and others, which can be sold to companies.

The LAWMA boss, therefore, implored the leadership of all Market Associations, Community Development Associations, Artisans and Residents in the two Councils to patronise assigned PSPs and desist from the patronage of cart-pushers.

In his speech, the Chairman of Agege Local Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi, represented by his Vice Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Abiola, disclosed that an executive bill to support the environment and promote sanitation in the area would soon be passed.

“This initiative is indeed laudable. Lagos State always sets the pace while others follow. Here in Agege, we hold discussions on environmental cleanliness with our CDAs and CDCs and we are trying to ensure that a clean environment is maintained. We assure you that the theme of discourse at this gathering will be spread across all wards in the council for a desired positive response”, Abiola noted.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area, Mr. Johnson Babatunde, also represented by his Vice-Chairman, Mr. Akanni Pedro Oluwatoyin, appreciated the Authority for organising the event, noting that it would contribute to positive attitudinal change among the people.

On his part, the Council Leader of Agege Local Government, Mr. Nojeem Oloruntoyin, assured that the legislative arm of the council would enact laws backing youth empowerment in waste management, expressing optimism that it would go a long way in improving the economic development of the youths.