The Lagos State Government has acknowledged shortcomings in waste collection and operational challenges within its waste management system while defending measures taken to address the state’s growing refuse and flooding problems.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed while responding to criticism of the state’s waste management and flood control efforts by the 2027 governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Rhodes-Vivour had raised concerns over refuse accumulation and flooding during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he described some parts of Lagos as “stinking”.

Responding to the criticism, Wahab acknowledged that waste collection services had not met residents’ expectations everywhere but rejected the suggestion that the government’s approach was restricted to evacuating refuse after it had accumulated.

“We acknowledge collection failures, underperforming PSP operators and operational bottlenecks. However, it is misleading to suggest that Lagos has no plan beyond clearing refuse after it accumulates,” he said.

The commissioner also rejected claims that the state only removes waste after it piles up.

Wahab said Lagos generates between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste every day, highlighting the scale of the challenge confronting the state.

According to him, the Lagos Waste Management Authority and private sector participation operators evacuated approximately 418,500 tonnes of waste in May 2026, representing about 13,200 tonnes daily.

However, he stressed that the volume evacuated should not be taken as proof that waste collection services are satisfactory for every resident.

He explained that the waste management process relies on the effective operation of several stages, noting that delays at disposal facilities can affect truck turnaround times, disrupt collection schedules and eventually result in refuse accumulating in neighbourhoods.

Wahab said recent operational challenges at the Olusosun disposal facility had exposed the problem. He noted that the rehabilitation of Road E and the addition of disposal platforms at the facility had resulted in increased truck movements.

“Truck movements across disposal facilities rose to 1,866 in the week following the intervention, while Olusosun recorded an increase from 574 to 1,012 trips,” Wahab said.

Beyond the evacuation of accumulated refuse, the commissioner said the government was pursuing a broader restructuring of the waste management system.

The measures include modern transfer loading stations, material recovery facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project.

“The objective is to transition from decades of pick-and-dump practices to a sustainable system where waste becomes a resource for energy and economic value,” he said.

Wahab also said the state was improving its capacity to determine whether waste contractors were providing the services for which they were engaged.

He listed property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data among the tools being used to monitor contractors.

“The principle is straightforward: a modern waste management system must measure what it manages,” Wahab said.

The commissioner added that the state was reforming the private sector participation system by sanctioning or terminating operators found to be underperforming.

He also clarified that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise should not be regarded as a replacement for regular waste collection.

According to him, the more important indicators include the volume of waste collected, routes completed, missed collections, complaints resolved, recurring waste blackspots and the quantity of waste diverted from landfills.

On flooding, Wahab said the state had invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations, year-round maintenance and flood-abatement operations.

He added that the government had also preserved wetlands and removed structures located on floodplains.

The commissioner further pointed to restrictions on styrofoam and single-use plastics as part of the state’s environmental interventions.

Wahab claimed that the measures had contributed to a 75 to 80 per cent reduction in flooding incidents across Lagos.

He rejected the suggestion that the state government had neglected the flooding challenge.

“It is therefore misleading to suggest that flooding is being ignored or that no meaningful progress has been made,” he said.

Wahab said Lagos’ coastal geography, tidal conditions and the effects of climate change also had to be considered when assessing the state’s flooding challenges.

“Even the most resilient drainage infrastructure cannot entirely eliminate flash flooding in a coastal megacity,” Wahab said.

He maintained that criticism of the government should consider the interventions already carried out rather than treating every flooding incident as proof that preventive measures had not been implemented.

“While challenges remain, the evidence of sustained interventions must form part of the conversation,” Wahab said.

Source: Punch