By Henryrich Ojo | Newsworld

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared a one-month state of emergency on waste management as the state intensifies efforts to tackle a growing refuse crisis across the metropolis.

Sanwo-Olu made the declaration on Wednesday after inspecting the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, alongside his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, and the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.

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The governor said immediate measures were required to address the worsening waste situation and prevent residents from facing further difficulties caused by poor refuse disposal.

According to him, the capacity of Olusosun dumpsite would be increased to accommodate between 350 and 450 waste trucks daily, compared with its current capacity of about 250 to 350 trucks.

The number of tipping points at the facility will also be increased from the existing two or three to four or five, in a bid to reduce the amount of time waste trucks spend waiting to discharge their loads.

“We’re here for ourselves to see what is the problem, what is happening, and for us to clearly be able to declare what we will call a small state of emergency, just so that we can get out of this very unpleasant situation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Lagos Generates 17,000 Tonnes of Waste Daily

The waste crisis has been compounded by the increasing volume of refuse generated across Lagos.

Deputy Governor Hamzat recently disclosed during an interview on Nigerian Info 99.3FM that the state had initially estimated its daily waste generation at approximately 13,000 tonnes.

He said the figure had now increased to about 17,000 tonnes of waste every day.

“We thought that we were generating 13,000 tonnes on a daily basis. It turns out we are generating about 17,000,” Hamzat said.

Four Dumpsites to Be Reactivated

Sanwo-Olu also announced plans to reactivate four additional waste disposal locations in different parts of Lagos.

The sites are Solu 3 in Alimosho, Iwulepe in Ikorodu, Oke Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.

He said work on the road leading to Solu 3 would commence with stabilisation and grading and should be completed within two to three weeks.

Similar rehabilitation work will be carried out at Iwulepe and Oke Osho, with the governor expressing optimism that multiple active disposal sites would be available within about six weeks.

The move is expected to reduce pressure on Olusosun and improve the turnaround time for waste trucks.

“This will enhance and improve the turnaround of the trucks on the various roads so that they don’t need to come to the dump site and spend one day, spend 12 hours for them to be able to pick,” the governor said.

Lagos Orders 160 New Compactor Trucks

As part of the immediate response, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the state government had ordered 160 new compactor trucks to strengthen waste collection and evacuation across Lagos.

He said shipment of the trucks would begin soon, adding that they would help improve the movement of refuse from homes and roads to designated disposal facilities.

The governor also said Zoomlion would procure additional compactor trucks, while the state government would acquire landfill compactors to improve operations at waste disposal sites.

$-Million Waste Infrastructure Projects Underway

Beyond the emergency measures, Sanwo-Olu said the state government was working with Zoomlion on a long-term waste management infrastructure programme.

He disclosed that a 2,400-metric-tonne transfer loading station was being developed at Olusosun, with another facility of the same capacity planned for Solu 3.

The transfer stations are expected to receive compacted waste before it is transported to material recovery facilities for sorting and further processing.

Two material recovery facilities are also being developed at Oke Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.

Sanwo-Olu said the projects involve investments worth tens of millions of dollars and are designed to provide a more sustainable solution to waste generation, disposal and conversion in Lagos.

He said physical work on the projects should become visible before the end of the year, while the facilities are expected to commence operations between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter of next year.

Lagos to Review Waste Collection Operators

The governor also disclosed that the state government and operators under the Private Sector Participation (PSP) scheme were reviewing the structure and capacity of waste collection operators in Lagos.

According to him, the operators had agreed to identify companies with the necessary capacity, expertise and financial strength to continue operating in the state.

The government will also conduct an independent review to establish the actual number of effective PSP operators.

“We just don’t want to have 800 PSPs when it is actually only 400 that is effective, or have a number that we’re just carrying the number, and 20 or 30 or 40 of that are not effective,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He added that PSP operators had agreed to purchase additional compactor trucks, while the state government would consider financing arrangements to ease the financial burden on them.

Sanwo-Olu Appeals to Lagos Residents

The governor appealed to residents and property owners to pay for waste collection services, stressing that maintaining a clean environment was a shared responsibility.

Sanwo-Olu said the government, waste management operators and residents all had important roles to play in addressing the state’s waste challenge.

The one-month emergency declaration is expected to accelerate refuse evacuation, improve the efficiency of dumpsites and strengthen waste collection operations across Lagos.