The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, has assured residents that the backlog of wastes dotting the cityscape will be cleared in seven days.
Odumboni gave the assurance on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in a statement while coordinating operational activities around the city.
He said that LAWMA would exploit the gradual cessation of rainfall and appreciable progress on landfill rehabilitation, to achieve the feat.
Odumboni said: “Thankfully, the rains have subsided and coupled with the reasonable progress on rehabilitation at the landfills: all these are working for good to complement our efforts.
“I can tell you that in seven days, the backlog of refuse will be gone.
“We have re-energised our operational machinery, working in renewed collaboration with the Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators.”
He also said that the authority was working on a special arrangement with the PSPs, to make sure that they rendered optimal service delivery.
Odumboni said that the agency had been providing backup services in areas with noticeable service gaps.
“We are working on an arrangement to sort out some of the issues affecting the performance of PSP operators in the state, especially the issue of scarcity and high cost of diesel, which has practically undermined our efforts to rid the state of the waste backlog,” Odumboni said.
He urged residents to bag and containerise their waste and support efforts of the authority to sanitise the environment, by shunning indiscriminate waste disposal; one of the major factors leading to flood disasters and other attendant environmental hazards.
Most parts of the city are inundated with wastes littering the roads and the road medians.
Some residents of the state have, however, appealed to LAWMA and the PSP operators to match their words with action.
They said that in spite of the assurances given before the Sallah break, many parts of the state remained dirty with littered wastes begging for attention.
By Fabian Ekeruche
