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The Lagos State Government is set to deploy 220 newly acquired compactor trucks to strengthen waste collection and improve environmental management across the state, Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Hamzat, has said.
Hamzat disclosed this on Saturday during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Festac, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, saying the additional trucks would complement the existing Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste collection system.
He said the move had become necessary to address the increasing volume of waste generated by Lagos’ rapidly growing population and strengthen the state’s capacity to evacuate refuse from areas where existing collection arrangements were unable to meet demand.
“The state government will be bringing in another 220 trucks to make sure that we supplement our PSP,” Hamzat said.
The deputy governor urged residents to patronise accredited PSP operators rather than cart pushers, warning that unregulated waste collection could encourage indiscriminate dumping and make it difficult for authorities to track where collected refuse was eventually disposed of.
“What we need our people to also do is to make sure that they patronise their PSP, not the cart pushers, because they are not organised. You don’t know where the waste is ending up,” he said.
Hamzat attributed part of Lagos’ growing waste burden to the state’s rising population, noting that the continuous influx of people inevitably translates into increased daily waste generation.
He, however, stressed that government investment in waste management would not be sufficient without active participation by residents.
The deputy governor warned Lagosians against dumping refuse in canals, drainage channels and other unauthorised locations, noting that blocked waterways could obstruct the free flow of stormwater and worsen flooding during heavy rainfall.
“We cannot be a people without a healthy environment. It doesn’t matter what we do, a cleaner environment is what makes a city or a state sustainable,” he said.
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Hamzat also addressed environmental management issues in Festac, noting that although the Federal Housing Authority had specific responsibilities in the area, residents and property managers remained subject to Lagos State’s environmental regulations.
He commended the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government chairman and residents for participating in the exercise, stressing that community ownership was essential to achieving a cleaner and healthier Lagos.
Also speaking, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the state had recorded improvements in waste evacuation following the deployment of 24-hour emergency response teams and interventions to address operational challenges at landfills and dumpsites.
Wahab said the government had intensified engagement with PSP operators to improve their performance and ensure more efficient collection of household waste across the state.
Wahab said Lagos was also transitioning from the conventional linear “collect and dump” model of waste management to a circular economy approach focused on recovering waste and converting it into useful resources.
He said the transition had led to the development of material recovery facilities in Badagry and Epe, as well as transfer stations at Solus and Olusosun.
Meanwhile, the Head of Service, Bode Agoro, monitored the sanitation exercise in Bariga LCDA alongside Permanent Secretaries, including the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Omobolaji Gaji.
The officials inspected Ewenla, Adetoke and Emmanuel Church streets through Omobokun to New Garage to assess compliance and encourage residents to maintain clean surroundings.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Sunkanmi Oyegbola, Agoro expressed concern over the attitude of some residents towards environmental cleanliness.
He urged Lagosians to take ownership of their immediate environment, stressing that sanitation should not be regarded as the sole responsibility of the government.
