The Lagos State Government has announced the completion of work on a Transfer Loading Station at Olusosun that will transfer about 2,500 metric tonnes of waste a day to the Material Recovery Site at Ikorodu by the end of 2026.
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced this when he led state top officials on an inspection of the extent of work at the Olusosun dumpsite after monitoring the monthly environment sanitation with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the Surulere Local Government Area (LGA).
He said the work, which is being carried out by the Concessionaire, Messrs Zoomlion, will assist with a waste-to-wealth programme that the state seeks to embark upon.
Wahab added that as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Zoomlion will also stabilise the 1.2 kilometres of road to the dumpsite and do some major remedial work on it.
He stressed that another commitment has been given by the engineer on site that the level of work will be increased by Zoomlion to include day and night activities on the site to meet the completion target.
“So, our own commitment is that, before the end of the year, let all start seeing moves to decongest the Olusosun landfills. And they will give us wealth as a recoverable from our own waste,” Wahab explained.
He described the project as part of a robust landfill management programme of the state, saying Lagos can’t sustain a linear waste management system that it had done for over four decades.
“A pick-and-dump linear waste system cannot be sustainable. Let’s even leave climate and others. We don’t even have the land for it. Decades ago, this was at the outskirts; this is an outskirt of Lagos. Today, look around you. It is an eyesore,” he said.
He called on everyone to make waste a resource for wealth, for energy, and all sorts, stressing that it represents the transition Lagos State is going through now.
“You know, for a fact, Larfage is taking our combustible waste to power their machines. That is out of it. You know that our fruit waste at Ikosi Food Market is working through a biodigester to power the whole market now. That’s also out of the whole chunk generated daily.”
“Now, if we take 4,250, and convert it to recyclable plastics, our compost fertilisers through harvest waste. That takes a substantial part out of it. If we now get Harvest Waste to hit the ground running, they say they want between 1,500 and 2,500 tonnes for energy. That also takes a chunk of it,” he emphasised.
He maintained that in every developed climate in the world, people must start seeing waste as a resource, and that is when the change will be felt by citizens.
According to the commissioner, in the interim, the State would get more compactors and also be looking at the possibility of EV compactors, which can be integrated into what the PSP operators are doing.
He said the state will bring in tricycle compactors for areas that have grown beyond what PSP operators that were assigned to the original routes can attend to because of narrow lanes and inner roads.
“That will just go to those inner streets. Take them out rather than dumping those things on the streets or on the median. So that’s the long time, but reforms take a while. It’s not a magic wand. But we have to keep fixing what we have on the ground. Remediate why we move towards a bigger picture,” he stated.
Prominent among those who accompanied the Commissioner were the Special Adviser on the Environment, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu; Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Tajudeen; Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin; Director, Drainage Construction, Dapo Ajadi, who stood in for the Permanent Secretary, Drainage Services; Executive Secretary, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Khadijat Adeyemo; and directors.
Meanwhile, Head of Service, Bode Agoro, who led the monitoring team to the Kosofe Local Government Area (LGA), expressed satisfaction with the increasing level of residents’ participation in Lagos State’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise, noting that public response continues to improve as the initiative becomes more established.
Agoro observed that while some residents were yet to fully embrace the sanitation culture, a significant number of people turned out to clean their surroundings.
“This is the third edition of the exercise, and many residents are beginning to realise that it is not a one-off initiative but a monthly commitment; We are seeing more people coming out to participate, which is encouraging,” he said. “Although some people were still indoors when the exercise commenced, continued advocacy and public enlightenment will further improve compliance.”
Agoro stressed that sustained awareness campaigns remain essential to ensuring greater participation by residents across Lagos State. He called on all corporate organisations to collaborate with the government to ensure that the vision of a cleaner environment is collectively achieved.
“It’s a good collaboration where we already have some organisations, like Lafarge, on board as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility on environmental sanitation. So to all the other corporate organisations, emulate people like Lafarge; join us so that we can make the environment cleaner and a better environment,” he said.
Agoro reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to promoting a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable environment through consistent environmental sanitation exercises and urged residents to continue supporting the initiative by maintaining clean surroundings and complying with environmental regulations.
The Head of Service was accompanied by the Chairman of the Kosofe Local Government, Moyosore Ogunlewe, members of the Body of Permanent Directors in the ministry, as well as Students from Lagos State Education District II.
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