Lagos Residents Raise Waste Collection Concerns as Sanwo-Olu Seeks Patience
Mirian Gom 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Residents of Mafoluku in Lagos have raised concerns over delays in waste evacuation by Private Sector Participation operators, prompting an appeal from the state’s First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, for patience as the government works to address the problem.
Sanwo-Olu addressed the concerns on Saturday during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Mafoluku, Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, where residents complained that PSP operators were not collecting refuse regularly.
A resident, Adebayo Agbalara, told the First Lady that delays in waste collection were leaving residents struggling to dispose of accumulated refuse. “The challenge we are facing is that the PSP operators are not coming regularly to pack our waste. Please help us to appeal to them,” Agbalara said.
Responding, Sanwo-Olu attributed part of the challenge to delays faced by waste trucks at disposal sites, saying trucks sometimes spend two or three days in queues before they can discharge their loads. “The turnaround time for the trucks to dump the dirt at the dumpsite, it takes a long time. They queue for like two or three days before they dump it,” she said.
She said the Lagos State Government was working on alternative strategies for waste disposal and management.
The First Lady appealed to residents to remain patient, describing the current situation as a “teething problem” that would be addressed over time.
Sanwo-Olu also acknowledged complaints over increased charges by some PSP operators, while saying government and other stakeholders were working to improve waste evacuation across the state.
During the sanitation exercise, she commended residents of Mafoluku for bagging their waste instead of dumping it around drainage channels.
A waste truck was also seen evacuating refuse in the area, although Sanwo-Olu acknowledged that the process was slower than residents expected. “You can see that the truck is here; it’s already packing. We’re not as fast as the residents want us to pack, but they are already taking the waste away,” she said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, said public participation in the monthly sanitation exercise had improved.
According to him, more residents were voluntarily cleaning their homes and streets compared with the early stages of the exercise. “When we started, the awareness wasn’t this much. But today, you see people turning up, coming out to clean their environment,” Rotimi-Akodu said.
He said the government’s immediate objective was to increase awareness and encourage behavioural change around waste disposal and environmental sanitation.
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Korede Abdullah