Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, and the 2027 governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, have traded words over waste management and flooding in the state.
The disagreement followed Rhodes-Vivour’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, where he described parts of Lagos as “stinky” and raised concerns about waste evacuation and recurring flooding.
The exchange comes ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election, with environmental issues, including waste management and flooding, expected to feature prominently in political campaigns.
Reacting to the comments, Wahab said some of the concerns raised by Rhodes-Vivour were legitimate but rejected the suggestion that the state had no plan beyond clearing refuse after it accumulates.
Wahab said Lagos generates an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily, adding that the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators evacuated approximately 418,500 tonnes in May 2026, averaging 13,200 tonnes daily.
He said the volume of waste was partly driven by Lagos’ growing population and the daily influx of people into the state.
The commissioner acknowledged collection failures, underperforming PSP operators and operational bottlenecks, but said these challenges should not be interpreted as evidence that the state lacked a comprehensive waste management plan.
According to him, delays at disposal facilities can affect truck turnaround times, disrupt collection schedules and eventually result in refuse accumulation across neighbourhoods.
Wahab said interventions at the Olusosun landfill, including the rehabilitation of Road E and the provision of additional disposal platforms, had improved operational efficiency.
He added that truck movements across disposal facilities rose to 1,866 in the week following the intervention, while Olusosun recorded an increase from 574 to 1,012 trips.
Beyond emergency waste evacuation, the commissioner said the state was investing in Modern Transfer Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project.
He said the initiatives were aimed at moving the state away from what he described as decades of “pick-and-dump” practices towards a system in which waste could be converted into energy and other economic value.
On data transparency, Wahab said the government was strengthening property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and waste recovery data.
He also said the state was reforming the PSP system by sanctioning or terminating operators that failed to meet required standards.
Turning to flooding, Wahab said Rhodes-Vivour’s criticism must be considered against Lagos’ coastal geography, tidal locks and the increasing impact of climate change.
He said the state government had invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations, year-round maintenance, flood abatement operations, wetland preservation and the removal of structures on floodplains.
“Lagos is investing in Modern Transfer Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project. The objective is to transition from decades of pick-and-dump practices to a sustainable system where waste becomes a resource for energy and economic value,” he said.
Wahab also cited the state’s ban on styrofoam and single-use plastics as part of measures aimed at addressing environmental challenges, adding that the interventions had reportedly reduced flooding incidents by 75 to 80 per cent across the state.
He rejected the suggestion that the government was ignoring flooding, saying the state had made sustained investments to mitigate the problem.
The commissioner said flooding was a challenge faced by coastal cities globally and argued that the relevant question was how effectively a city prepared for and mitigated flood risks.
Wahab, however, acknowledged that Lagos still had significant work ahead, saying the government’s performance should ultimately be measured by whether its interventions delivered a cleaner city and a waste management system residents could rely on.
“Flooding is a global coastal challenge, not one peculiar to Lagos. Amsterdam, Thailand, Nepal, Afghanistan (despite having a dry land), even the almighty USA. The relevant question is not whether every flood can be prevented, but how effectively a city prepares, mitigates risks and protects it’s residents,” Wahab said.
He also urged residents and businesses to stop indiscriminate dumping of waste into drains, road medians and public spaces, stressing that government services must be complemented by responsible public behaviour.
The commissioner said the debate should focus less on descriptions of Lagos and more on measurable indicators, including tonnes of waste collected, routes completed, missed collections, complaint resolution, recurring waste blackspots and the volume of waste diverted from landfills.
