Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reportedly asked the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign following mounting complaints over heaps of refuse littering roads, streets and drainage channels across the state.
The Punch Online report, citing an unnamed source within the agency, said the governor was unhappy with the slow pace of waste evacuation despite earlier directives to tackle the growing sanitation crisis.
According to the report, Sanwo-Olu’s decision followed his dissatisfaction with the state of affairs after visiting the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota about a month ago.
The source claimed that the governor had directed the immediate implementation of measures to address the problem after declaring a state of emergency on waste management.
However, with refuse reportedly continuing to accumulate across several communities, the governor was said to have asked Gbadegesin to step down over the weekend.
“The governor was upset when he observed that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive,” the source reportedly said.
The source further claimed that the LAWMA boss had been appealing to the governor to reconsider the decision and had reached out to some prominent Lagosians to intervene on his behalf.
The reported development comes amid months of complaints by residents over worsening waste collection, with refuse heaps allegedly left unattended along major roads, residential streets and drainage channels.
Communities affected by the problem reportedly include Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2.
The mounting waste has raised concerns about environmental pollution, public health risks, blocked drainage channels and the impact of poor sanitation on businesses and the image of Lagos.
In September, Sanwo-Olu declared a state of emergency on waste management after inspecting the Olusosun dumpsite, where he met with stakeholders to assess the challenges confronting the sector.
The governor, accompanied by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, called for immediate, medium-term and long-term measures to improve waste collection and disposal across the state.
Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the slow pace of refuse evacuation, blaming part of the problem on the failure of Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators to meet their obligations in the preceding weeks.
He also disclosed that waste compaction operations were ongoing at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites, while recent fire incidents at the facilities had disrupted operations.
According to the governor, completing the ongoing projects would enable the dumpsites to receive about 450 trucks of municipal waste daily, effectively doubling the capacity available to PSP operators.
Despite the proposed interventions, complaints over refuse accumulation have persisted in several parts of Lagos, putting the state’s waste management system under renewed scrutiny.
As of the time of the report, there was no official statement confirming the reported resignation directive from the Lagos State Government or LAWMA.
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