Saheed Oyelakin
The Lagos Waste Management Authority has condemned the circulation of outdated videos and images purporting to show the current waste situation in parts of Mushin.
LAWMA described the practice as misleading and capable of creating a false impression about the waste situation in the area.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, said Mushin was clean as of the day, following sustained intervention by the authority over the past three weeks to address service delays in the area.
He said LAWMA had deployed its trucks to inner streets to collect waste directly from households and communities, while also engaging market and community leaders to strengthen coordination and ensure that identified service gaps were promptly addressed.
“Some of the videos being circulated as though they show the current situation in Mushin are old, and presenting them without dates or context is misleading.
“We acknowledge that there have been service delays in some areas, but LAWMA has stepped in, and the situation on the ground today is different,” Gbadegesin said.
He stressed that residents must not take waste to road medians or other unauthorised locations, urging communities experiencing delays in collection to contact LAWMA through their Community Development Association or community leadership for interim direct collection, as is currently being done in Mushin.
The agency also shared interviews in which it said residents spoke about waste management in the community.
Speaking on the intervention, Mrs Taiwo Adenekan, a resident of Dakobiri Street, Mushin, said the direct collection had made a noticeable difference in the area.
“We have seen LAWMA trucks coming into the market and taking away the waste,” she said, adding that direct collection made disposal easier for residents and helped prevent waste from being taken to unauthorised locations.
Similarly, Chief Samsideen Obawunmi, Babaloja, Irepodun Market, Mushin, said the engagement with market stakeholders had helped draw attention to waste management concerns in the community, noting that traders were also being encouraged to dispose of their waste properly.
Also speaking, Alhaji Kazeem, General Secretary, Mushin Market, commended LAWMA for engaging community representatives and responding to complaints from residents, saying the authority’s direct collection from inner streets had provided a better option for residents.
Owolabi Akinwande, a resident of Moroduke, Mushin, also welcomed the initiative, saying direct collection made it easier for households to dispose of their waste properly.
He urged residents to contact LAWMA through community channels whenever there were delays.
LAWMA reiterated its zero tolerance for dumping on road medians and stressed that residents must keep their waste properly packaged while using approved collection channels.
The authority assured communities experiencing service delays that it would continue to intervene where necessary, while working with PSP operators, market leaders, CDAs and other stakeholders to strengthen waste collection across Mushin and other affected areas.
LAWMA urged residents to disregard outdated materials presented as current, report genuine service delays through the appropriate channels and support the collective effort towards achieving a cleaner Lagos.
Copyright PUNCH
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
