…Two weeks after inauguration, Ambode’s sanitation officers yet to clean up Lagos
When Governor Akinwunmi Ambode launched the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, CLI and new board of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) on Saturday, January 20, hopes were high that the state would once again return to its clean and hygienic status.
Recall that the governor had earlier in July 2017 launched the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC). While the CLI aims to take over from the Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) as the primary waste collector and disposal agency, LAGESC replaces the now-defunct Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) who were hitherto saddled with the responsibilities of enforcing compliance to stipulated environmental rules and regulations.
Ambode at the event represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said the new waste management policy of government encapsulated in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was designed to holistically address the challenges in the sector.
In his words: “Let me assure the people that in the coming weeks, there will be improvement. “We are already witnessing a high-level of improvement; we promise that throughout this week and throughout next week, people will see a marked improvement in our state as more equipment come into the country and we are able to deploy the equipment accordingly,” he said.
In a similar vein, the General Manager of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Segun Adeniji in a recent interview said the state was undergoing certain environmental reforms aimed at sanitizing it.
In his words: “Our waste management sector is currently undergoing a major reform. In March last year, a new bill was signed into law on the waste management sector, producing a single legislation that covers the entire environment sector in the state.
“That same law has made LAWMA a regulatory body, as against the time when LAWMA was only carrying out 90 percent operations and 10 percent regulations.
“From this year (2018) henceforth, all operations will be carried out by a competent body called Visionscape International, and the agency will handle all waste and refuse issues,” he said.
However, two weeks after the promise, investigations by the Newsclickng.com revealed that both LAGESC and operatives of Visionscape International were yet to make any remarkable impact in making the state clean, hygienic and safe for residents as heaps of refuse still adorn major roads, streets and houses.
A tour of some popular cities within the state by the Newsclickng.com team during the week confirmed the unhygienic status of the roads and streets that are almost turning into usual dumping sites.
At Ejigbo, Ikotun, Amuwo-Odofin, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Lagos Island and other popular cities, heaps of refuse waste littered streets and roads. The stench oozing from the refuse dump was indicative of how long it’s been begging for attention.
Some residents who couldn’t hide their disgust at the unhealthy developments across the state told the Newsclickng.com that the refuse dumps were already taking adverse effects on their health. Some even said they had to flee their homes when the stench was becoming unbearable.
As part of holistic approach to managing waste in the state, the Lagos State Government recently placed a ban on the activities of truck pushers in the state. To an extent, this has further heightened indiscriminate waste disposal and management as residents now have no alternative means of disposing their waste in cases where Visionscape officials do not show up to time.
Newsclickng.com interviewed a resident in Ejigbo who spoke beside a mountain like dump site. The resident who simply identified himself as Seun said government needs to wake up to its responsibilities. He also blamed residents for not obeying simple environment rules.
“Sincerely, I really don’t know if this is that same Lagos where sanitation officers (LAWMA) in particular were up and doing. Before now, they come twice a week to park the wastes and we ensure prompt payment of our dues. However, for close to three months now, its been a different case entirely. The LAWMA officials are no longer regular and worse still, the Lagos State Government has placed a ban on activities of cart pushers who have also been helping to clear the wastes for a token. People use and discard things on a daily basis. All our streets and roads are now open dump sites and the smell is really suffocating. Lagos State Government needs to live to its responsibilities. Residents should also learn to dispose wastes responsibly. Most times government officials are not usually there when the consequences of these indecent environmental attitudes arises” Seun said covering his nostrils.
While the Newsclickng.com found some big green waste bins provided by Visionscape and displayed at strategic locations around the metropolis, majority of these were overfilled and yet to be disposed of by same officials.
In the past week, some local government chairmen were seen leading the campaign against indiscriminate waste disposal and also actively involved in the clearance. However, this barely had any effect as concentration was mainly on one out of several cases in their local governments. More So, close observation revealed that the dirt often resurfaces in just a matter of hours after clearance.
Efforts by the Newsclickng.com to reach the General Manager of LAWMA, Mr. Segun Adeniji and the Executive Secretary of LAGESC, Mrs Idowu Mohammed for comments was unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.
