Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reportedly ordered Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), to resign. According to Punch, the directive stems from the governor’s dissatisfaction with the agency’s handling of the worsening waste crisis, which has left refuse piling up on major roads and in drainage channels across the state. An anonymous source within the agency told Punch that the governor’s displeasure intensified after a site visit to the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota approximately one month prior, where he had demanded immediate improvements. The source noted that Gbadegesin has since reached out to prominent Lagosians to plead his case, though the outcome of these efforts remains uncertain.
The move follows a state of emergency on waste collection declared by Sanwo-Olu in September. During that period, the governor, accompanied by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, met with stakeholders to outline solutions for municipal waste challenges. Sanwo-Olu attributed part of the stagnation to the failure of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to meet their contractual obligations. He also highlighted that ongoing compaction activities at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites would eventually double the capacity of these facilities to handle municipal waste. Premium Times reported that recent fire incidents at these sites had temporarily slowed operations, but contractors have since resumed work to clear the areas for daily disposal.
Despite these interventions, residents in areas including Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, and Apapa have continued to report decomposing refuse along streets. In October, LAWMA withdrew the operating licenses of six PSP operators to address performance issues. Gbadegesin, however, maintained that the agency was making progress. In a post on X on Saturday, he stated that 11 of 15 routes in the weekly program had received field updates, including the clearance of Mile 2 and the deployment of additional trucks to Doyin-Orile. He noted that LAWMA had taken over interim collection in Okeira and Oluodo after terminating their PSP operators. The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, had not responded to inquiries from Premium Times as of the latest report, leaving the official government stance pending.