Lagos Waste Crisis: Sanwo-Olu Reportedly Replaced LAWMA MD

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reportedly moved to replace the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, with Dr Hassan Sanuth amid persistent complaints about refuse accumulation across the state.

However, the Lagos State Government has yet to officially confirm the reported appointment, while the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has dismissed the claim as untrue.

Sources familiar with the development said Sanwo-Olu was dissatisfied with the continued heaps of refuse on major roads, residential streets and drainage channels despite previous directives to improve waste collection and disposal.

According to one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the governor asked Gbadegesin to resign over the weekend. Still, the outgoing managing director was reportedly seeking additional time to tackle the challenges.

“The directives aim at addressing the waste challenges in the state,” the source told Vanguard.

Sanuth, who was reportedly being considered as Gbadegesin’s replacement, previously served as Director of Sanitation Services in the Office of Environmental Services, under the state Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

The reported development comes amid mounting public concerns about the handling of municipal waste in Lagos, despite recent government interventions aimed at improving sanitation and waste collection.

About a month ago, Sanwo-Olu expressed dissatisfaction with the state of waste management during an inspection of the Olusosun Dumpsite in Ojota, describing the heaps of refuse across Lagos as “embarrassing”.

The governor subsequently ordered urgent measures to address the situation, directed a comprehensive review of LAWMA’s operations and management, and declared a state of emergency on waste management.

Accompanied by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu met with stakeholders in the waste management sector at the dumpsite to assess the challenges facing municipal waste collection and discuss immediate, medium-term, and long-term solutions.

He acknowledged delays in waste evacuation, attributing the problem partly to the failure of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to fulfil their responsibilities in the weeks preceding the visit.

The governor also disclosed that waste compaction was ongoing at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites, expressing optimism that completing the exercise would accelerate waste evacuation across the state.

He attributed some of the operational setbacks to recent fires at the dumpsites but said work had resumed, with contractors preparing the facilities for daily waste disposal.

According to Sanwo-Olu, completing the projects would enable the dumpsites to accommodate approximately 450 trucks of municipal waste daily, effectively doubling the waste-handling capacity available to PSP operators.

Despite the government’s intervention, residents have continued to report the accumulation of refuse in several parts of Lagos, including Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2.

The situation has generated complaints about decomposing waste along residential streets, road medians, major highways and drainage channels.

A source familiar with the development said the governor was displeased that the situation had not improved significantly despite his earlier instructions.

“The governor was upset when he observed that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive,” the source said.

The source further claimed that Gbadegesin was appealing for more time to address the problem and seeking the intervention of prominent individuals.

However, in a weekly waste management update published on his X account on Saturday, Gbadegesin reported progress in clearing affected locations and maintaining collection services along selected routes.

He said Mile 2 had been cleared and routine waste collection sustained, while three additional trucks had been deployed to Doyin-Orile and surrounding communities.

“11 of the 15 routes in this week’s programme now have field updates,” he wrote.

Gbadegesin said daily waste collection had continued along Ijesha Road and in Itire-Ikate, while Bucknor-Ijegun had been cleared and scheduled for collection three times weekly.

He added that Okeira and Oluodo had been placed under LAWMA’s interim service arrangements following the termination of their PSP contracts, while waste collection continued in Ogolonto and Igbokusu.

Obalende, according to the update, had been cleared, provided with a waste bin and placed under surveillance to prevent a recurrence. Clearance operations were also continuing at Iraye.

The LAWMA chief identified Apapa, Abesan Estate, Idimu-Ejigbo Road and the Isheri-Igando corridor as the four routes for which field updates were still outstanding.

“The objective is to progress from clearance to sustained collection and prevention of recurrence, not simply remove visible waste,” he said.

Gbadegesin was reappointed to lead LAWMA by Sanwo-Olu following the governor’s re-election.

Sanuth holds a doctorate in Environmental Microbiology and a master’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Ibadan.

His areas of research include epidemiology, biodegradation, bioremediation and environmental monitoring.

He has also obtained certificates in Environmental Monitoring and Modelling from the Institute for Water Education in Delft, the Netherlands, and Multilevel Water Governance from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

With more than 23 years of public service experience, Sanuth has worked across several departments responsible for environmental management and protection, including pollution control, billing and monitoring, conservation, and ecology.

He also served as Nigeria’s focal point for the environment under the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation-sponsored Collaborative Action for Sustainable Tourism programme in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sanuth belongs to the Science Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Environmental Society and the American Society for Microbiology. He is also an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management.

Reacting to the report, Wahab, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, described the claim that Sanuth had been appointed LAWMA managing director as untrue.

The commissioner, however, declined to provide further details on the matter.

As of press time, the state government had not issued an official announcement confirming a change in LAWMA’s leadership.