Lagos Debunks Plan to Transfer KAI Duties to Transport Unions
The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to improve waste evacuation across the state, with ZoomLion Nigeria Limited commencing preliminary works to stabilise and reopen Road E at the Olusosun disposal facility.
The intervention is expected to improve access to the site, reduce turnaround time for waste trucks and enhance overall operational efficiency.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, acknowledged challenges affecting waste collection in some parts of Lagos but assured residents that immediate, medium-term and long-term measures were being implemented to improve service delivery.
According to him, recent operational pressures were partly caused by difficulties in accessing disposal facilities, especially during the peak of the rainy season.
Gbadegesin disclosed that LAWMA had also revived and optimised the use of Transfer Loading Stations (TLSs) across the state as a temporary measure to accelerate waste evacuation from communities while infrastructure upgrades continue.
He added that the government was supporting Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators to acquire additional collection vehicles. The planned deployment of 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered compactor trucks, alongside 10 new compactors donated by the Lagos State Lottery and Gaming Board, is expected to significantly boost waste evacuation capacity.
The LAWMA boss further revealed that the state had strengthened enforcement against indiscriminate waste disposal and environmental violations by establishing a coordinated Waste Police initiative involving transport unions, community groups and other stakeholders to encourage compliance and discourage illegal dumping.
He noted that the government was also exploring inter-state partnerships aimed at complementing existing waste disposal infrastructure, improving operational flexibility and ensuring more efficient waste evacuation.
Gbadegesin highlighted the ongoing construction of new Transfer Loading Stations at Olusosun and Solous III, explaining that the facilities would collectively divert up to 4,000 tonnes of waste daily to recycling and treatment plants upon completion.
He said the projects would reduce pressure on disposal sites, advance Lagos State’s circular economy agenda and support efforts to modernise waste management through investments in recycling, material recovery and sustainable waste-to-resource initiatives.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has dismissed claims that it plans to transfer the statutory responsibilities of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, to transport unions.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, clarified that recent engagements with transport unions were solely aimed at encouraging them to maintain cleanliness in parks, garages and bus stops under their control.
He stressed that LAGESC and the Lagos State Special Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences remain the legally empowered agencies responsible for environmental enforcement in the state.
Wahab reiterated that the collaboration with transport unions would not diminish, transfer or replace the responsibilities of KAI and other environmental enforcement agencies.
