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Maduka Nweke
The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, (AWMN), has called on the Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, to create a collaborative arrangement to make the Private Sector Participant (PSP) and the Visionscape Company work together to clean up Lagos.
The Association at a press briefing last week, in Lagos reiterated that distribution bins across the streets and highways of Lagos State without adequate provision for evacuation has increased the number of black spots experienced in the state.
In his speech, the Chairman of AWMN, Lagos Chapter, Oladipo Egbeyemi, noted that the various interventions carried out to date have not stopped the increase in the volume of waste on the highways and medians. He decried government’s accusations of blackmail and sabotage saying that allegations are unfounded.
According to him, government has already confirmed that the PSP has almost 1,000 trucks following a verification exercise carried out by its consultant with over 400 licensed operators. He noted that a two days waste backlog has closed the Olusosun dump site and made it inaccessible thereby adversely affecting the turnaround.
The Association in providing solutions to the debacle proffered various recommendations that would see Lagos leave its current tag of having the dirtiest street to become most cleanest city in line with its megacity quest.
Accordingly, they stated that the waste problems must be tackled at the point of generation by enforcing the government policy of door to door collection acknowledged to be the international best practice. “There is need to ensure that all existing dump sites are made accessible at all times; delivering massive advocacy programmes to enlightening Lagosians. Enforcement of sanitation practice of bagging and contenarisation of wastes and providing sustainable enforcement for non-compliance to house to house disposal and non- payment. It demands that all stakeholders should remain committed to the Rule of Law and avoid any measure that will create divisions and anarchy.
