Wahab apologises over Lagos waste crisis, says collection failures ‘very bad’
Tokunbo Wahab, Lagos state commissioner for environment and water resources, has apologised to residents over the persistent waste evacuation problems affecting several parts of the state.
The apology comes amid growing complaints from residents over overflowing refuse dumps along roads and drainage channels across Lagos. Many residents have also taken to social media to criticise delays in waste collection, with some reporting that refuse remains uncollected for weeks.
Speaking on Friday during an appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television, Wahab admitted that the waste management situation in the state had deteriorated in recent months.
“Let me start by apologising to Lagosians. The past three to four months have been very bad with respect to waste collection, but we didn’t just get there overnight,” he said.
“I won’t play the ostrich by not admitting we had a challenge. Are we fixing it? Yes.”
Wahab said the Lagos state government has begun implementing measures aimed at improving waste evacuation while also pursuing long-term reforms in the sector.
The commissioner explained that the current waste disposal model, which largely involves collecting refuse and dumping it at landfill sites, is no longer sustainable for a rapidly growing city like Lagos.
According to him, increased urban development around landfill sites such as Olusosun and Solous has further complicated waste management efforts.
“For decades, we practised a linear waste system. We just pick waste and dump. Olusosun and Solous used to be the outskirts of Lagos, but people have now built around them,” he said.
“We can’t sustain that model anymore. Lagos has limited land space, so we must think differently.”
Wahab said the state government is now shifting towards a circular waste economy that treats waste as a valuable resource rather than mere refuse.
He highlighted ongoing investments in waste-to-energy projects, including a biodigester facility at the Ecocircuit centre designed to convert food waste into energy.
The commissioner also disclosed that a larger waste-to-energy plant capable of processing about 4,250 tonnes of waste daily is currently under development.
The worsening waste situation had earlier prompted Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to order round-the-clock evacuation of refuse across the state to clear mounting heaps of waste from public spaces.
In April, the Lagos state government reintroduced the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, nearly a decade after it was suspended in 2016 following a court ruling.
